[size=48]Florida's Stay-At-Home Order Exempts Public Gatherings for Religious ServicesWhile many houses of worship have switched to online services, some churches continue to put parishioners at riskBy Claudia HarmataApril 02, 2020 04:50 PM

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RODNEY & ADONICA HOWARD-BROWNE/FACEBOOKFlorida’s statewide stay-at-home order still allows public gatherings for religious and worship services, despite a nationwide recommendation to limit gatherings to 10 people to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a 30-day stay-at-home order to go into effect Friday, after several weeks of pressure from lawmakers and the public. He announced the decision with an executive order, which says residents may only leave home for essential businesses and activities.The governor then listed the activities he deemed “essential,” the first of which was “attending religious services in churches, synagogues and houses of worship,” even though many churches across the country have switched to online services to protect parishioners amid the outbreak.The decision comes just days after the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Tampa issued a warrant for the arrest of evangelical pastor Rodney Howard-Browne, who held two church services in front of thousands of members at his mega church earlier this month despite the urging from health and government officials to practice social distancing. The services violated the county and state’s orders requiring gatherings be fewer than 10 people, Orlando Weekly reports.

RELATED: Louisiana Church Holds Service for Hundreds, Defying State Order to Stay Home to Prevent Coronavirus SpreadWhile the new executive order seems to deem Howard-Browne’s church “essential,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor announced on Facebook Live Wednesday that such mass services will not be allowed in Tampa.She told her constituents that they “can go back to church in other areas” but not in Hillsborough County. “So, what occurred at The River Church on Sunday, it was not allowable then and it’s not allowable today, and it’s not allowable Sunday either,” Castor said. “It was a very reckless decision on the part of that pastor, and we are able to have more stringent regulations than the state’s order.”RELATED VIDEO: Girl Has Dance-Off with Grandfather While Social Distancing

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Howard-Browne’s church is not the only house of worship holding large, in-person services. A Louisiana church has also continued to keep doors open to its worshippers, ignoring a statewide stay-at-home order.

The Life Tabernacle church outside of Baton Rouge held its morning services on Sunday. Although the Associated Press estimated that around 500 churchgoers were in attendance, Rev. Tony Spell told TheLos Angeles Times that over 1,200 came to worship.“We’re free people. We’re not going to be intimidated. We’re not going to cower,” Spell said during the sermon, the outlet reported. “We’re not breaking any laws.” The reverend also claimed that so far no congregants have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

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Life Tabernacle Church in East Baton Rouge

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The church’s actions were in direct violation to Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ statewide stay-at-home order, which went into effect on March 22, and also banned gatherings of over 10 people, with the exception of essential businesses.According to The Baton Rouge Advocate, Spell was arrested on Tuesday and now faces six misdemeanor charges, which carry a maximum punishment of $500 and up to six months in jail.“He will be held responsible for his reckless and irresponsible decisions that endangered the health of his congregation and our community,” Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran told the outlet. “We are facing a public health crisis and expect our community’s leaders to set a positive example and follow the law.”As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. To help provide doctors and nurses on the front lines with life-saving medical resources, donate to Direct Relief here.

Since there still are capacities for Corona patients in many areas in Germany, patienrs from other countries have been transported to German clinics for medical treatment. French ones are brought to Germany near the French-German border, Iralians are spread all around Germany (sonce the south of Germany has much more infections), and the clinic in my hometown has just gotten four patients from the Netherlands.

Carolhathaway - I think it's wonderful that your country has opened its doors to virus patients from other countries. My government is still not willing to give its own citizens the help we need. We embarrass ourselves more every day.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the coronavirus response coordinator for the White House, admitted that the US officials 'didn't know how contagious' coronavirus was early in the outbreak. Birx made the revelation Thursday on Fox News during a digital town hall event with reporter Martha MacCallum. She said that initial data about the Covid-19 outbreak from China had gaps in information, leaving the US unable to properly prepare for the pandemic. 'The bottom line is we didn't know how contagious it was,' Dr. Birx said. 'I think when you make misassumptions around contagion early on, then you don't prepare in the way that you should prepare for the level of contagion that this COVID-19 exhibits,' she added. Fox News Privacy Policy

Dr. Deborah Birx (right), the coronavirus response coordinator for the White House, told Fox News reporter Martha MacCallum (left) that US officials 'didn't know how contagious' coronavirus was at first Dr. Birx said China's early reports came during a 'very difficult situation' and weren't measuring asymptomatic cases or mild disease. 'In that case, that may be a significant portion of the epidemic, and so we didn't know how it was spreading,' she said. US officials were also unaware of how coronavirus was spreading and surface contact. In the United States - which has the highest number of infections worldwide - there are at least 245,356 confirmed cases and a death toll of 6,056.

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As of Thursday, the United States has recorded more than 230,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and at least 5,647 deaths

MacCallum asked Dr. Birx about evidence that China intentionally undersold the severity and scale of the coronavirus, which begun in the city of Wuhan in late-December 2019. The US intelligence community submitted a report to the White House that claims China under-reported confirmed cases and deaths, Bloomberg reports. Trump doubled down on these claims, saying China reported numbers were 'a little bit on the light side.' Dr. Birx answered that she was fighting the HIV epidemic in Africa when the outbreak started and watched new data come in from China.

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Dr. Birx (pictured): 'I think when you make misassumptions around contagion early on, then you don't prepare in the way that you should prepare for the level of contagion that this COVID-19 exhibits' 'I think when we looked at the profile, first there was a question about human-to-human transmission - that's really key because it stops with that first set of transmission,' said Dr. Birx. 'So there was that first question, and I think when you're in the midst of an epidemic, it is hard for you to be testing at a level that you need to to really look for those asymptomatic cases and really look for those people with mild disease.'So now we're finding out that most of the reporting was around very severe cases.' In the US, healthcare workers and officials continue to scramble for a hold of the coronavirus outbreak as the the number of infections and deaths rise. America is the first country in the world to report 1,000 coronavirus-related deaths in 24 hours. Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday that blamed the CDC and China for America's delayed response to the pandemic.

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Vice President Mike Pence blamed the CDC and China for the United States' slow response to the coronavirusThis comes after President Trump blamed the outbreak in New York - with 92,700 infections and 2,400 deaths - on the impeachment investigation in a letter to Sen. Chuck Schumer. Pence told CNN's Wolf Blitzer: 'I will be very candid with you and say that in mid-January the CDC was still assessing that the risk of the coronavirus to the American people was low. The very first case which was someone who had been in China, I believe took place in late January around the 20th day of January'.

'The reality is that we could have been better off if China had been more forthcoming. I mean the reality is that China’s been more transparent with regard to the coronavirus than certainly they were for other infectious diseases over the last 15 years. 'But what appears evident now is that long before the world learned in December that China was dealing with this, and maybe as much as a month earlier than that, that the outbreak was real in China,' he noted.He also warned the United States could see conditions that are as bad as those in Italy, which has had over 110,000 cases and more than 13,000 deaths. Italy is also on a nationwide lockdown.

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China reported its first known death from 2019 Novel Coronavirus on January 11th. The first U.S. case was reported in Seattle on January 21st - a person returning from a visit to Wuhan, China, where the outbreak began. Pence defended President Donald Trump and the administration for criticism they responded too slowly to the pandemic.'I don't believe the President has ever belittled the threat of the coronavirus,' Pence told Blitzer.On Tuesday, the White House projected 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. if current social distancing guidelines are maintained.Dr. Birx agreed with the estimate, but warned that there could be as many as 2.2million deaths if the US does nothing to contain the outbreak. [size=18]Health official urges metro areas to prepare like NY for coronavirus

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Dr. BIrx (center) agreed with estimates that as many as 240,000 Americans could die from coronavirus if the disease is not contained

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The United States' outbreak came to. a head when the nation's first coronavirus-related death occurred in Washington state at Life Care Center of Kirkland (pictured) Pence argued the work the administration did - including encouraging social distancing, limiting social gatherings, and eating take out as part of their '15 Days to Slow the Spread' guidelines - helped keep the rate of infection down.'We put travel advisories and screening in place for people coming from Asia and also from Italy, then suspending travel from Europe, the U.K., and Ireland, and all the mitigation efforts that the federal government has advanced and states have -- advancing,' the vice president said.Trump addressed the estimate on Tuesday during a press conference. 'It's absolutely critical for the American people to follow the guidelines for the next 30 days, it's a matter of life and death, frankly,' President Trump said.'I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead. We're going through a very tough few weeks. And, hopefully, as the experts have predicted is a lot of us are predicting having studied it so hard, going to start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel and this is going to be a very painful, a very very painful two weeks,' he noted.

A top New York heath executive has slammed the 'ridiculous' red-tape on the USNS Comfort as it accepts just 20 patients in the four days since it docked in New York City on Monday. The Navy hospital ship was dispatched by President Donald Trump as a beacon of hope to the struggling city as the coronavirus outbreak in the Big Apple reached 51,809 cases and 1,562 deaths as of 5pm Thursday. There are now 245,356 U.S. cases and 6,056 deaths across the country. On Wednesday, it became the first country in the world to hit 1,000 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours. Yet with ambulances forced to bring patients to a hospital for a coronavirus test first, a long list of medical conditions that the Navy won't treat on board, and a host of other bureaucratic hurdles causing many delays, the ship's beds lie empty and its staff idle.Michael Dowling, the head of Northwell Health, New York's largest hospital system, has called the Navy's restrictions a 'joke' as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo argued the ship should begin to accept coronavirus patients.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has said Sunday, April 5, will be 'D-Day' for the city and is when the hospitals will run out of supplies and staffing

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The USNS Comfort has accepted just 20 patients since it docked in Manhattan four days ago despite promising relief to the coronavirus crisis in New York City

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On Friday, de Blasio told CNN he believes the Navy will agree to start letting COVID patients come on board. 'There's no question in my mind that's going to get resolved very quickly, you're going to see that number grow. 'Having the Comfort here is a very important thing here in NYC. I don't have a doubt in my mind the Comfort is going to be filled up soon and the Javits is going to be filled up soon. That's the easy part.'The hard part is the hospitals dealing with a massive surge in the coming days. We need more doctors and nurses.

[size=34]THE RED TAPE KEEPING COVID PATIENTS FROM THE COMFORT [/size]

[size=13]Non Covid patients only From the outset, the plan was for the USNS Comfort to only take patients who did not have the virus and alleviate some of the pressure on the hospital system. A specific reason for that decision was never given but it was likely to avoid infecting the Navy or putting the physical ship in a position where it might have to be taken out of commission and disinfected Ambulances can't take anyone directly therePatients are not allowed to go directly to the USNS Comfort. First, an ambulance takes them to a city hospital. Then, they are tested for the virus and evaluated. They are then transported if they test negative.Ship may need to be reconfigured for COVID-19 patients A military doctor told The New York Times that the ship is fitted with narrow cot beds that are suitable for young, otherwise healthy soldiers with battlefield wounds, but may not be for older patients. The vast majority of COVID-19 hospitalizations are among people over the age of 65.

'If we have the equipment, lives are going to be saved. If we don't' people are going to die who still do not need to die,' he said. The Javits Center is a 2,900-bed facility that was constructed by the National Guard and by the US Army Corps of Engineers in just five days last week. It too said it would only take non-coronavirus patients initially, but Gov. Cuomo convinced President Trump to change that policy this week. It is now accepting COVID-19 patients. That is yet to happen with the Comfort. Michael Dowling, the CEO of Northwell Health - NY's largest hospital system - said it was a 'joke'. ' 'If I'm blunt about it, it's a joke. 'Everyone can say, "Thank you for putting up these wonderful places and opening up these cavernous halls". 'But we're in a crisis here, we're in a battlefield,' he told The New York Times.The need for medical personnel in New York City is so severe that Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday pushed President Donald Trump to begin a national enlistment that would send people with medical training from other states to the front line of the epicenter. Despite the drastic need, there are currently some 1,200 crew aboard the USNS Comfort who are idle, with a lack of patients due to the strict protocols in place that has seen them refusing to take certain medical conditions. In Los Angeles, the USNS Mercy has also only accepted 15 patients. New Yorkers came out in their droves on Monday as the gigantic white vessel pulled in to dock in Manhattan, ignoring social distancing guidelines as they gathered to see in the hospital ship that was supposed to lessen to crippling burden on the city's hospital system. After four days, the hospital ship has done little to ease the stress, with delays and time-wasting protocols frustrating hospital chiefs. As well as refusing to accept coronavirus patients, the Navy has sent hospitals a list of 49 other medical conditions that they will not treat on board leaving few remaining patients available to transfer from over-stretched hospitals to the ship. Even protocol around the transfer of patients who are suitable has caused further delays as none can be brought directly to the Comfort without a visit to a hospital first. +17

Scores of New Yorkers flocked to the streets to welcome the Comfort on Monday. NY Gov Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio said it not only brought needed supplies but was a much needed morale booster for the city +17

Andrew Cuomo, left, gestures during a brief news conference as he stands beside a Rear Adm. John B. Mustin as the USNS Comfort, a naval hospital ship with a 1,000 bed-capacity, pulls into Pier 90 in New York Monday. The ship has been criticized for only accepting 20 patients[size=18]USNS Comfort hospital ship arrives in New York City

Lo[/size][/size]Cuomo said that the Navy was refusing to accept coronavirus patients because of rules in place surrounding the disinfection of the ship. He argued, however, that with many New Yorkers remaining inside their homes under the shelter in place order and many surgeries placed on hold, the number of hospital patients that did not have coronavirus was not great enough that the ship could continue with its refusal. 'What has happened is the COVID patients have overwhelmed the hospitals, Cuomo admitted. 'Hospitals have now just basically turned into ICU units with COVID patients and because everything is closed down, there are fewer normal trauma cases, and since I stopped all of the elective surgery, you don't have those patients. So the offloading of non-COVID patients really doesn't exist.

'You have protocols that aren't really established, that have to be set up. Theoretically, the U.S. Navy ship Comfort could take a non-COVID trauma case. So I don't know how that protocol works on that,' he added. 'But look, this is, we're all doing the best we can, trying to put together a system, that can handle over 150, 200% of what the system is designed to do. And the federal facilities are an advantage. For us, what it is going to come down to is the staff burnout, staff getting sick, we have 80,000 volunteers, can we get them oriented to the right hospitals and in the right places.'Already on Thursday, President Donald Trump had given approval for Cuomo to open up the temporary medical facility in the Javitts Center in Manhattan to coronavirus patients after it was originally established to treat non-COVID-19 patients only. The move came as the city struggles to establish more beds for patients and medical staff to treat them as Mayor de Blasio announced that 65,000 more beds would be set up in the Big Apple in the next four weeks. Dowling told the New York Times that the Northwell Health hospital system has already torn itself apart to find space for further beds.+17

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On March 20, Northwell hospitals housed 100 COVID-19 patients. This had risen to 2,800 by Thursday. 'It's pretty ridiculous,' he said of the Comfort. 'If you're not going to help us with the people we need help with, what's the purpose?' Capt. Patrick Amersbach, the commanding officer of the medical personnel aboard the Comfort, has said that the crew will continue to follow orders to treat only non-coronavirus cases until they are told otherwise. 'If our mission shifts, we do what we can to meet that mission,' he said. As reported by the New York Times, an outbreak on board the Comfort would be disastrous and would quickly spread, cutting off the ship's operations. All crew are required to stay on board through the duration of the mission to New York and were forced to go into a 14-day isolation before it began to ensure they had no symptoms. The news came as Dr. Anthony Fauci called on the government to issue a nationwide stay-at-home order to slow the spread of coronavirus and said that CDC advice to wear masks in public will 'come soon'. The US's top medical expert on the pandemic and a member of President Trump's coronavirus task force said during a town call with CNN Thursday night that he didn't understand why a nationwide lockdown hadn't been issued by the president.Fauci also confirmed that guidance on people wearing face masks would be released soon, after Trump said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is to advise all Americans to start wearing cloth masks or other face coverings in public.[size=18]New Yorkers told to cover mouth and nose with cloth masks outside

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Earlier on Thursday, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio issued guidance for all New Yorkers that they should cover their mouth and nose with a cloth mask when they leave their homes. Speaking during his daily press conference on the city's coronavirus response, the mayor revealed that new evidence has suggested that face coverings may prevent the spread of the coronavirus but added he did not regret delaying the order. De Blasio warned that most New Yorkers should craft their own face covering using cloth, a scarf or a bandanna, leaving face masks for medical staff and others working on the front line. He also warned New Yorkers that the 'toughest weeks are ahead' and again hammered home the date of April 5 as 'D-Day' for the city. Sunday has been touted as the day the city will run out of essential medical supplies as it currently stands. 'April 5 is a crucial, crucial date for New York City,' he said in the press conference.

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A graph by computer scientist Mark Handley shows how the US's trajectory compared to other countries until March 28

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A separate graph shows how the states vary in comparison to Italy until March 31 The US was the first country to report 1,000 coronavirus deaths in a single day on Wednesday as the death toll soared past 5,000 - and it continues to rise. The figire rose over 6,000 on Thursday. With more than 245,000 infections across the country, America is now worse affected by COVID-19 than any other country in the world has been. The virus shows no signs of slowing down, despite the entire nation being on lockdown, and experts say as many as 200,000 will die by the time the pandemic is over. On Thursday, the death toll continued to rise to 6.056. There are fears that the next epicenter will be the city of Detroit, after the death toll in Michigan doubled in just three days - a sign of exponential growth which scientists use as an indicator of spikes. The US death toll is now dwarfing the number of deaths officially reported in China (3,337), where the outbreak first originated back in December. While the death toll in Italy (13,915) and Spain (10,348) is still higher, the US eclipsed the hard-hit European nations' confirmed cases, with both Italy (115,242) and Spain (112,065) reporting only around half the number of infections. Italy's deadliest day was on March 26, when 969 new deaths were reported. China's figures are less clear. Contemporaneous reports indicate that its deadliest day was in February when 242 died in Hubei province alone. There is growing skepticism over the country's reported deaths and infections, with some saying the government is hiding the true number.

[size=34]Bodies are flowing through Brooklyn hospitals 'like a conveyor belt' and as many as 130 MORE mobile morgues are on their way to NYC as experts predict citywide death toll to top 16,000[/size]

Bodies of coronavirus victims are flowing through Brooklyn hospitals 'like a conveyor belt' and as many as 130 more mobile morgues are on their way to New York City to store them as experts warn that the death toll in the US pandemic epicenter could reach 16,000. Hospitals and healthcare professionals are struggling to bring the crisis under control and the city is becoming overwhelmed with dead bodies as the pandemic is poised to kill more New Yorkers than 9/11.The US Department of Defense is also sending 42 mortuary affairs officers and the New York Air National Guard has sent a 12-person team to help the city run the mobile morgues.One of the mobile morgues was placed outside the hard-hit Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn, where one doctor said bodies have been passing through 'like a conveyor belt'. Brookdale ran out of space in its in-house morgue, which holds 25 bodies, on Tuesday. Nursing staff ran out of body bags the next day as the mobile morgue outside climbed closer and closer to capacity. New York state continues to be the hardest-hit in the US with 92,381 infections and 2,373 deaths as of Thursday.

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Bodies are loaded onto a refrigerated truck outside of Wyckoff Medical Center in Brooklyn on Thursday

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New York state continues to be the hardest-hit in the US with 92,381 infections and 2,373 deaths as of ThursdayNew estimates predict that the death toll in the Big Apple alone could surpass 16,000, threatening to overwhelm the city's usual system for accommodating the dead as bottlenecks emerge at every step from hospitals to funeral homes to cemeteries and crematoriums. While the healthcare system buckles under the strain, the disposal of bodies is fast becoming the latest crisis with a 'bottleneck' emerging between the bodies being taken from the city's hospitals to funeral homes and to crematories and cemeteries.A domino effect has meant victims' bodies are left lying in refrigerated trucks for days as there is not enough space in hospital morgues, funeral homes can't keep up with demand and cemeteries are operating less than usual due to the city's lockdown and social distancing rules.Mobile morgues have been drafted in to plug the gap and the city's medical examiner's office has taken control of the disposal of bodies and started taking in bodies to its five facilities.

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Healthcare workers wheel the bodies of deceased people from the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center during the outbreak of the coronavirus

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New estimates predict that the death toll in the Big Apple alone could surpass 16,000, threatening to overwhelm the city's usual system for accommodating the dead as backups emerge at every step from hospitals to funeral homes to cemeteries and crematoriums

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Hospitals and healthcare professionals are struggling to bring the crisis under control and the city is becoming overwhelmed with dead bodies as the pandemic is poised to kill more New Yorkers than 9/11On average 158 people die in New York City each day. On April 1, 278 people died from coronavirus alone - and the figure has been on the rise. As a growing number of hospitals reach capacity in their in-house morgues, he office of the chief medical examiner has been drafted in to be put in charge of identifying and picking up the dead.The medical examiner's office can take on 900 bodies across five facilities but this is still far from enough. The city has already set up 45 mobile morgues around the five boroughs to take on another 3,500 bodies and 130 more of the refrigerated units are on the way.

NYPD is forced to BEG the government for masks after 1,400 officers are struck down with coronavirus - while the White House dubs its response 'Operation Blue Bloods' and then BOASTS about it in a press conference

The NYPD was forced to beg the government to send more masks for officers, only for the White House to turn it into a publicity stunt with the catchy name 'Operation Blue Bloods' and boast about its own response.NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan sent a desperate email to the White House Monday pleading for more protective gear, after 1,400 officers have already been struck down with the deadly virus.Shortages of masks have left officers at increased risk of contracting the infection, as they are left with no choice but to make house calls across the city without any protective equipment.The city's cops have been sacrificing their own health during the pandemic in order to protect New York residents.+17

A police officer stands outside Mount Sinai Hospital on April 1. The NYPD was forced to beg the government to send more masks for officers, after cops were risking their lives responding to house calls without protective gearThe White House grasped the opportunity to up its ratings, dubbing its rapid response with the catchy name 'Operation Blue Bloods' and then boasting about its long overdue achievement in a press conference.President Donald Trump's newly-appointed equipment czar Peter Navarro led the response and was happy to show off his work one week into the job.'At the White House we love to move in Trump time, which is 'as soon as possible,'' he said.Navarro then insisted that he didn't need any 'thanks' for stepping in.'We're not interested in thanks. We just want the people of New York to know the White House is thinking about them and getting it done,' he said.+17

NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan sent a desperate email to the White House Monday pleading for more protective gear, after 1,400 officers have already been struck down with the deadly virus+17

NYPD officers (like those pictured above on March 31) have been sacrificing their own health during the pandemic in order to protect New York residentsFrontline workers have warned that they don't have enough masks and some doctors and nurses have told how they have resorted to measures including cleaning old masks to try to keep themselves protected as much as possible.But the supply shortage was nowhere to be seen in this scenario with the White House managing to locate and deliver gear to the NYPD within just 16 hours of Monahan's cry for help.According to the New York Post, in 16 hours 'Operation Blue Bloods' was able to bring together a rapid-response team and fly in masses of supplies the next day.Navarro sought the help of defense companies Raytheon and General Dynamics, and alcohol Pernod Richard to send supplies of protective suits, gloves and masks.The operation flew in more than 1,750 crime scene Tyvek suits on private Raytheon plane on Tuesday afternoon, and another 2,125 on Wednesday.

Travel data shows 3.4 million travelers from countries that would end up hardest-hit by the coronavirus outbreak entered the U.S. as the pandemic was starting. Figures from the U.S. Commerce Department from December, January and February, which were the critical early months in the outbreak, reveal how hundreds of thousands or even millions of undetected coronavirus cases could have entered the country while medical experts remained unaware of the seriousness of the illness. The world first heard about the coronavirus in December, when it remained confined to China. Beijing was accused of covering up the spread of the virus, which may have left China's borders through asymptomatic patients well before new cases were picked up around the world.Isolated cases started showing up in Europe in late January, before the pandemic took off in Europe in February. Governments around could have taken the threat of the virus more seriously at the start of 2020 if China could have at least issued grave warnings, instead of insisting the virus was under control.The travel data shows 759,493 people entered the U.S. from China before President Trump's travel ban on 31 January.

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Travel data shows a shocking 3.8 million travelers from countries that would end up hardest-hit by the coronavirus outbreak entered the as the pandemic was starting. Travelers from Italy, a virus hotspot, are seen arriving in New York's John F. Kennedy Airport earlier this year'It is difficult to estimate the portion of travelers coming from China to the U.S. with COVID-19, but fair to speculate that a large number might have been infected at the time of travel,' says Dr. Simone Wildes, an infectious disease specialist at South Shore Health, responding to the figures, reports ABC News. Another 343,402 arrived from Italy, 418,848 from Spain and about 1.9 million more came from Britain. 'This is an astonishing number in a short period of time, illustrating how globalized our world has become. Just as people can hop continents with amazing ease, the infections they carry can too,' said Dr. Vinayak Kumar, an internal medicine resident at the Mayo Clinic and a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit. The travel data was pulled from Commerce Department records and information provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.Medical experts say it cannot be known how many travelers may have been infected, but it's highly likely some were not exhibiting symptoms. And as air travel has surged in recent years, enabling the pandemic to spread as it has, some officials suspect the virus' true impact was happening sooner than they realized.'I have no doubt that the virus was here much earlier than any of us know, and we have the virus more than any other state because travelers from other parts of the world come here first,' says New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo says.Travelers most probably ended up in New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles and other large destinations, but with the total numbers of those arriving so high, people could have gone anywhere in the country.

There have been more than 245,000 confirmed cases in the U.S. of the coronavirus, making it the worst country to be affected by the deadly flu-like virus, also known as COVID-19.The virus has been blamed for more than 6,000 known deaths across the country.

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There have been more than 245,000 confirmed cases in the US of the coronavirus, making it the worst country to be affected by the deadly flu-like virus

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How the number of coronavirus cases in the US have escalated over timeThe World Health Organization officially proclaimed the virus outbreak a worldwide pandemic on March 11.President Donald Trump imposed restrictions on travel to and from China Feb. 2, a move that likely helped save lives. But data shows there were about 18,000 Americans who returned to the U.S. from China in the same month and March. The more than three-quarters of a million people who entered the U.S. from China during the early months, 'is an astonishing number in a short period of time, illustrating how globalized our world has become, says Dr. Vinayak Kumar, an internal medicine resident at the Mayo Clinic.'Just as people can hop continents with amazing ease, the infections they carry can too.'The China travelers included more than 228,000 Americans returning home and hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals who were on business trips, travel for school, touring or visiting family.[size=18]New York reports over 500 coronavirus deaths overnight

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The data includes 759,493 people who entered the U.S. from China, where the outbreak is suspected to have originated in Wuhan market place in November. Passengers arrive at Chicago's O'Hare in late January'The numbers are clearly alarming,' Dr. Simone Wildes, an infectious disease specialist at South Shore Health says. 'It shows that globalization is here, and we have to be better prepared to deal with the impact this will have on all our lives in so many ways.' Johns Hopkins University researchers suspect the virus may have started as far back as November, and that by December there may have been hundreds of cases in Wuhan. A team of researchers from University of Toronto warned in mid-January that the outbreak could quickly jump from Wuhan to other major cities because of international travel.

[size=34]Germany accuses the US of 'modern day piracy' for seizing a shipment of medical equipment - as French officials claim they were forced to fight with American buyers for millions of masks on a Chinese tarmac[/size]

The United States allegedly 'confiscated' 200,000 3M masks that Germany had ordered for their medical workers

Berlin officials blasted the US, with one claiming President Trump is showing 'a lack of solidarity' with other countries caught up in the coronavirus pandemic

It comes after two French officials alleged that they were outbid by Americans on millions of medical masks in China; the US has denied that allegation

Trump has been desperately trying to secure medical equipment for American healthcare workers as COVID-19 cases surpassed 250,000 in the US

However, Germany and France have also been hit hard by the outbreak, with tens of thousands of their citizens also sickened by the contagious virus

The United States has angered Germany and France after allegedly seizing millions of masks set to be shipped to the European nations amid the coronavirus crisis. On Friday, German officials hit out at America for 'intercepting' 200,000 masks they had ordered from a 3M factory in China. As 3M is an American-owned company, the US was able to 'confiscate' the shipment of special FFP2 and FFP3 masks which were on their way to healthcare workers battling the COVID-19 outbreak in Berlin. The masks had been delivered from 3M's factory in Shanghai and were due to be reloaded in Bangkok and flown to Germany.But instead, the masks were intercepted at Bangkok Airport and instead went to the US.'We consider that an act of modern piracy,' Berlin's interior minister Andreas Geisel blasted.'You don't treat your transatlantic partners like that,' he is further quoted as saying in The Financial Times. Geisel called on Germany's government to 'press the US to stick to international rules', while Berlin's mayor accused President Trump of 'lacking solidarity' following the seizure of the shipment. President Trump is desperately trying to secure masks and other personal protective equipment for Americans as the nation's emergency stockpile depletes.

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The United States has angered Germany and France b allegedly seizing millions of masks which were set to be shipped to the European nations amid the coronavirus crisis. erman officials hit out at America for 'intercepting' 200,000 masks they had ordered from a 3M factory in China. Stock image

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Berlin officials called on Germany's government to 'press the US to stick to international rules', and accused President Trump of 'lacking solidarity' following seizure of the shipment[size=10][size=18]Trump says he will not wear a face mask even though CDC advises it

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The United States has also earned the ire of France, where 64,338 people have tested positive to COVID-19, and 6,507 have died. On Thursday, US buyers paid three times the going rate to secure a shipment of face masks from China that were due to be dispatched to France, two French officials claim. The US has denied the allegation. Paying cash to divert the air cargo to the US, the buyers are said to have commandeered the shipment of masks as they sat on a plane at Shanghai airport ready for take off.The order of several million masks had been due to arrive in part to the Grand Est region in north west France, an area where intensive care facilities are already struggling to cope with the volume of coronavirus patients.Jean Rottner, a doctor and president of the GrandEst regional council, told RTL radio that the US buyers had turned up on the tarmac offering cash.

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More than one million people across the world have tested positive to COVID-19, with more than a quarter of cases occurring in the United States

He said: 'On the tarmac, they arrive, get the cash out … so we really have to fight.' The leader of the Ile-de-France region, which includes Paris, also accused unidentified Americans of swooping in with cash at the last minute to secure shipments already promised to French buyers.Valerie Pecresse, the chief of France's most populous region, said: 'We lost an order to the Americans who outbid us on a shipment that we had lined up.' Pecresse claimed that while France pays on delivery for such supplies - crucial in the global fight against the pandemic - 'Americans pay cash' without bothering to see the goods.

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A worker next to cargo unloaded from a different plane carrying 10 million face masks ordered by France from China, at the Paris-Vatry Airport in Bussy-Lettree, eastern France, 30 March[size=18]Trump: Govs should source own equipment but Walmart order placed

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They 'are just looking to do business on the back of the whole world's distress,' she told LCI television.France has ordered 1 billion face masks due to be delivered within the next 14 weeks and has deployed an air-bridge flight with China to deliver them amid the ongoing covid-19 pandemic.Shipping company Geodis is responsible for the organisation of 16 flights by two chartered cargo planes, reports World Cargo News.A senior US official on Thursday rejected allegations from French politicians that Americans had accroached the French shipment during the coronavirus crisis, calling the stories 'completely false.'In Washington, a senior administration official told AFP 'the United States government has not purchased any masks intended for delivery from China to France.''Reports to the contrary are completely false,' said the official, asking not to be named.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday asked officials to look into similar claims that masks were being diverted from his country, calling such reports 'concerning.'

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France has ordered 1 billion face masks and has deployed an air-bridge flight with China to deliver them amid the ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic'We need to make sure that equipment that is destined for Canada gets to and stays in Canada, and I've asked ministers to follow up on these particular reports,' he told a press conference.Ottawa has recognized that its stockpiles of protective medical equipment are not enough to meet demand, as it looks to care for a surge of infected patients and slow the spread of the virus.Canada has earmarked US$1.4 billion to buy medical equipment while asking local companies to pivot assembly lines to make masks, medical scrubs and ventilators.Read more:

Dr. Richard Levitan (above) is an intubation specialist who lives in New HampshireA New Hampshire doctor who traveled to New York City to volunteer for 10 days at a hospital overrun by coronavirus patients was kicked out of his brother’s empty apartment because the Manhattan co-op was afraid he was carrying the virus.Richard Levitan, 58, an intubation pioneer who invented an ‘airway cam’ used in performing laryngoscopies, was born in New York City and worked at Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital before eventually practicing in Philadelphia and New Hampshire.Levitan answered the call for medical volunteers put out by Governor Andrew Cuomo, who pleaded for help as the state’s hospitals became overwhelmed with patients infected with COVID-19.The doctor arranged a 10-day volunteering stint at his old hospital, Bellevue.His brother, Dan Levitan, a Seattle-based venture capitalist who keeps a co-op apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, offered his place for him to sleep between shifts at the hospital.There was just one problem – the co-op building near Central Park didn’t want him, according to The New York Times.

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Levitan last week traveled from his New Hampshire home to New York City to help a Manhattan hospital deal with the glut of coronavirus patients

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Levitan is considered a pioneer in the field of emergency medicine, having invented an 'airway cam' that makes it easier for doctors to perform laryngoscopies[size=10][size=18]Cuomo begs out of state healthcare worker to come to New York

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Richard Levitan arrived at the building last Saturday to pick up a key arranged for him by his brother.The building posted new rules in light of the coronavirus pandemic, stating: ‘No one except building residents; family members; nannies and home health care aides will be allowed into the building.’Richard got to the building and began a friendly chat with the doorman, who asked him what he was doing in town.He then went off to Bellevue to do his shift, his old work place where he felt right at home.‘I walked in and 10 minutes later we were doing an intubation and putting someone on a ventilator,’ Richard told the Times.The physician said he was eager to come to New York, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.‘This is the airway challenge of the century,’ the doctor said.‘I’m an airway guy. I’m not going to sit this one out.’Richard stayed overnight at his brother’s apartment without incident on Saturday and Sunday.

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Levitan signed up for a 10-day volunteering stint at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. Makeshift morgues are seen above outside Bellevue on TuesdayBut after returning from work on Monday, he was shocked to learn that he was being kicked out.The doorman told him he needed to pack his things and leave. He then called the building’s superintendent.

‘You’re telling me I’m not welcome to stay in this apartment?’ Levitan asked the superintendent.‘I’m afraid, doctor, that is not my decision, unfortunately, but that is the situation, unfortunately,’ the superintendent said in response.‘Why is that?’‘I guess they’re afraid of you bringing this virus with you,’ the superintendent said.

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Levitan immediately felt at home at his old workplace, the emergency room at Bellevue (seen above on March 25)Richard gathered his belongings and found another place to stay.He was stunned by the building’s decision, particularly since it appeared the nearly 300 apartments were empty.‘The place is a ghost town,’ he said.‘Anybody with money has left.’Cooperative buildings in New York City, or co-ops, are residential properties where those who live there don’t own the actual apartments but instead own shares in a company.

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The number of shares are proportionate to the size of the apartment one owns.Co-ops in New York, which are usually run by a board made up of the owners-residents, are known to have strict rules governing who can stay there.Levitan said that statistically he had less of a chance of carrying the virus than people who were already living there.‘I came from rural New Hampshire where my risk was very low,’ he said.The co-op board in question chose not to respond to inquiries from the Times, which agreed to Levitan’s request to keep the building’s address a secret.Levitan was worried that revealing which building it was would leave his brother vulnerable to retaliation in case one day he decided to sell his apartment.When asked about the building’s refusal to allow him to stay, the doctor said: ‘In war, there are a million stories of people’s behavior [going bad].’ As of Saturday, New York State's death toll was rapidly rising. Thus far, nearly 3,000 residents of the state have died of coronavirus.

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Dan Levitan, Richard Levitan's brother, is a Seattle-based venture capitalist who keeps an apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side

'Very proud of my brother Dr. Richard Levitan!' Dan Levitan tweeted on FridayCuomo said on Friday that more than 500 people died over a 24-hour period.On Friday, state officials reported more than 10,000 positive tests in one day, a record. In total, there were 102,863 confirmed cases in New York State as of early Saturday morning, up from 92,381 on Thursday. New York City had 57,159 cases - nearly a quarter of the confirmed cases nationwide.The city's death toll as of Saturday stood at 1,867. On Friday alone, 305 people died, according to officials.

[size=34]New York's coronavirus apex is likely to hit in the next WEEK as 630 die in one day while Governor Cuomo reveals China facilitated donation of 1,000 ventilators and Long Island makes up almost quarter of state's hospitalizations[/size]

New York now has 113,704 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 3,565 deaths, with most in NYC

Governor Andrew Cuomo said Saturday that Alibaba founders are sending 1,000 ventilators to New York

The state of Oregon is also lending New York 140 ventilators as cases continue to increase in the epicenter

Cuomo said different statistical models show the apex of cases hitting in roughly seven days

Long Island is a worrying emerging hotspot with nearly a quarter of the state's hospitalizations

It's unclear whether New Yorkers fleeing the city are the reason for the spike in Long Island cases

The New York epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic will receive 1,000 donated ventilators from the Chinese billionaires who co-founded Alibaba, as the state approaches its apex and Long Island emerges as a worrying hotspot, Governor Andrew Cuomo has said.New York now has 113,704 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 3,565 deaths, an increase of 630 deaths from the day before, Cuomo said at a press conference on Saturday. New York City accounts for 63,306 cases and 2,624 deaths.Cuomo said that new cases are still rising at an alarming rate, with New York's apex, or the peak in the number of new daily cases, likely about a week away. 'By the numbers, we're not yet at the apex. We're getting closer depending whose model you're looking at,' said Cuomo. 'We're somewhere in the seven day range.'

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New York now has 113,704 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 3,565 deaths, an increase of 630 deaths from the day before, Cuomo said at a press conference on Saturday

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Medical staff move bodies from the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center to a refrigerated truck in Brooklyn on Friday

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Meanwhile, the Chinese government helped facilitate a donation of 1,000 ventilators that will arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport today, Cuomo said. The donation was funded by Jack Ma and Joe Tsai, the Chinese billionaires who co-founded internet retail giant Alibaba.'This is a big deal and it's going to make a significant difference for us,' Cuomo said, adding that the state of Oregon is also sending 140 ventilators to New York. Cuomo is also looking for ventilators closer to home, and has issued an order that forces even private hospitals in the state to redistribute ventilators to the hospitals most in need.'I want this all to be over,' Cuomo said. 'It's only gone on for 30 days since our first case. It feels like an entire lifetime.'The number of people infected in the U.S. has exceeded a quarter-million, with the death toll climbing past 7,000. More than half of the deaths are in New York state.[size=18]'We're not ready for the apex' says Cuomo

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People wear face masks on Friday in New York City. New York state's death toll rose to 3,565, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, up from 2,935 the previous day, in the largest 24-hour jump recorded there

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While New York City remain's the state's biggest hotspot, cases are growing at an alarming rate on Long Island, where many wealthy city dwellers have fled during the crisis.Long Island's share of the state's total hospitalized cases had increased to 22 percent on Friday, up from just 17 percent on March 26.'Long island is the area that is growing,' said Cuomo. 'New York City is actually dropping...as a percentage of cases within the state.'Cuomo also announced that he will sign an executive order to allow medical students who were slated to graduate this spring to begin practicing now. 'These are extraordinary times and New York needs the help,' he said.As well, the governor praised the 85,000 medical workers who have volunteered their service to fight against the virus, with 22,000 traveling from out of state to work in the epicenter. 'How amazing is that,' Cuomo said.

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A temporary field hospital to treat covid-19 patients is seen in Central Park on Friday. Over 500 ambulances and paramedics teams have been brought in to NYC to help with the coronavirus outbreak

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Long Island's share of the state's total hospitalized cases had increased to 22 percent on Friday, as seen in the chart above

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A county breakdown shows the most affected areas of New York, with Long Island's Nassau and Suffolk counties high on the list. Westchester and Rockland counties are immediately north of New York City and generally considered 'downstate'Praising Oregon for lending New York 140 ventilators, the crucial medical equipment needed to care for the most severe cases, Cuomo quoted former President Franklin Roosevelt's remarks about the Lend Lease Act to help the U.K. in the darkest days of World War II.'Suppose my neighbor's home catches fire & I have a length of garden hose. If he can take my garden hose, I may help him put out his fire. I don't say to him 'Neighbor, you have to pay me $15 for it.' I don't want $15. I want my garden hose back after the fire is over,' Coumo said, quoting Roosevelt, and vowing to repay Oregon with double the number of ventilators when the crisis in New York subsides. 'We're all in the same battle here, and the battle is stopping the spread of the virus,' said Cuomo.Some interpreted the remark as a veiled jab at presidential advisor Jared Kushner, who described the federal stockpile of ventilators as 'ours' and not for the states at a press conference on Thursday.'The notion of the federal stockpile was it's supposed to be our stockpile. It's not supposed to be states stockpiles that they then use,' Kushner said.

A sign hangs from a fence thanking "essential workers" who continue to work while others abide by stay-at-home requirements in an effort to curb the COVID-19 outbreak on Saturday in Brooklyn

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People wearing masks gather to form a "bread" line at Bread Alone outdoor market, while standing apart from each other to maintain social distancing requirements during the COVID-19 outbreak on Saturday in BrooklynWhile Cuomo praised the Chinese government for facilitating the donation of another 1,000 ventilators, he also had harsh words about U.S. dependence on China to manufacture crucial medical equipment.He said that New York state had signed contracts to purchase 17,000 ventilators mostly from Chinese companies, and that only about 2,500 had ever been delivered. 'Long term, we have to figure out how we ended up in this situation,' he said. 'There's a public health reason, as we've all learned the hard way, why we need the capacity in this country' to manufacture vital medical equipment.

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President Donald Trump announced late Friday he would prevent the export of N95 protective masks and surgical gloves to ensure they are available in the U.S. The number of people infected in the U.S. has now exceeded a quarter-million, with the death toll climbing past 7,000. New York state alone accounts for more than 3,565 deaths, an increase of 630 in just one day. Most of the dead are in New York City, where hospitals are swamped with patients.

I keep wondering when Jared Braindead Kushner says the supplies are "ours" just who the hell is he talking about? I thought the supplies were for "we, the people" who make up the states that make up the country. Those supplies belong to US!

[size=12]Frida Ghitis, a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. She is a frequent opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to the Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. Follow her on Twitter @fridaghitis. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author. Read more opinion on CNN.(CNN)President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, seldom speaks to the public. Now we know why. When he stood at the White House podium on Thursday, what Americans heard was a spine-chilling performance from a believer in small government, delivered at a time when only big government can save the day.Of all the times to have a global pandemic, did it have to happen during the reign of an administration that wants to shrink the government to a fraction of its ability? Did it have to come under a president who has no respect for crucially relevant expertise or qualifications, who has surrounded himself with people whose principal talent is their ability to pay him public homage?If ever there were a time for big government, for ambitious programs, for a central role for federal authorities, it is right now. If ever there were a time for qualified people in government, it is now.

Kushner's translucent presence -- his affect, bereft of even the slightest hint of empathy, in perfect synchrony with his callous words -- was a spectacle suitable for our nightmarish times.

Doctor: I see patients fighting for lifeNow we know why Trump has put him in charge of so many intractable problems. Kushner is afflicted by a superabundance of unwarranted self-confidence. He is an introverted Trump; arrogance without flamboyance.close dialog

[size=18]Sign up for CNN's[size=43]MEANWHILE IN AMERICA[/size]A daily analysis of US politics for global readers.Sign Me UpNo ThanksBy subscribing, you agree to ourprivacy policy.[/size]Kushner chastised governors, with citizens literally gasping for air, for asking the federal government to help find life-saving ventilators. "Don't ask us for things when you don't know what you have in your own state. Just because you're scared, you ask your medical professionals and they don't know," he reprimanded.At one point, he suggested that the federal stockpile of emergency medical supplies is not meant for the states, "It's supposed to be our stockpile," he said. It's unclear who he meant by "our."It is a well-documented fact that Trump populated countless government positions with people utterly unqualified for their jobs. It comes as no surprise, then, that the rollout of emergency programs is proving less than impressive. Millions of Americans have already lost their jobs just a few weeks into the pandemic, so Congress moved fast to enact trillions of dollars in relief legislation.Many government professionals are doing their best in an unprecedented emergency, but the early days of the rescue plan are not encouraging. Suddenly-unemployed restaurant workers with families to feed may not get the promised $1,200 check for months. Despite vows to get money in people's pockets within two weeks, it looks like it could take up to 20 weeks -- that's about four months -- to mail out all the checks.

What happened when a president ignored the science on an epidemicSmall businesses wondering if help will arrive in time to avert bankruptcy saw hope when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday that emergency loans would be available starting the next day. But just as he spoke, banks said they still need guidance from the Small Business Administration before they can disburse funds.The programs are enormous. Perhaps the problems can be solved soon.But there's no excuse for the incompetence and delays during this coronavirus crisis that have come as a direct result of Trump & Co.s' disdain for government.The inescapable reality is that some challenges are so daunting that only the government can mount an effective response; some so cataclysmic than only the federal government has the muscle to do it.New Yorkers are dying at the rate of one every three minutes. The national economy is now in an induced coma, a desperate effort to prevent an even greater catastrophe. This is when the earth should shake with the sounds of the cavalry to the rescue. Amid all this, Trump unfathomably launches petty attacks on Democrats, and goes on Fox News to tell Sean Hannity, "I don't believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators," after Andrew Cuomo -- governor of the state that is the national epicenter of the pandemic -- pleads for urgent help.Gabriel Sherman, in Vanity Fair, wrote that it was reportedly Kushner who told Trump that, "I'm doing my own projections...New York doesn't need all the ventilators," according to a person present at a recent White House meeting on the issue. Cuomo explained, during a CNN town hall on the coronavirus: "It's very simple: A person comes into the ICU unit. They need the ventilator, or they die." The help may be coming, but not without delay.If the federal government were in good hands, it would have taken charge of the crisis much earlier. Trump wouldn't have resisted urgent calls to enact the Defense Production Act weeks ago, when the Chamber of Commerce persuaded him not to use his power to command production of ventilators.

DeSantis risked the lives of FloridiansNow states, watching the tidal wave of cases surge in their direction, are scrambling to secure the necessary supplies. Incredibly, they are competing against each other, and now competing against the Federal Emergency Management Agency -- FEMA.On CNN Thursday, Cuomo made a suggestion so practical, so logical, it's hard to believe it has not been put in place. Instead of everyone simultaneously struggling to acquire the same products -- even from China, no less -- why not have a rolling deployment of supplies, distributed where they are needed, as the pandemic crests in different states at different times.Imagine a pro-active, efficient, transparent and trustworthy administration, coordinating the purchase, production and distributing of ventilators and protective equipment to the places where they are needed, and arranging transportation of surplus from one state to another, as the need emerges.The good government that we wish we had would have also ensured that everyone has health insurance. Incredibly, Trump rejected a proposal Thursday to reopen Obamacare enrollment so that uninsured Americans could get coverage amid projections that millions could become ill. Even health insurance companies were pushing for this, but Trump said no.The White House says it's exploring other options, but it's unclear what those might be. With millions losing their jobs, and most people's insurance linked to employment, the number of uninsured could soar at the worst possible time.With a more competent administration, the Navy hospital ships deployed with so much fanfare would not be floating mostly empty, as patients mass in overflowing hospitals. "A tangle of military protocols and bureaucratic hurdles has prevented the Comfort from accepting many patients at all," reported the New York Times.Follow CNN OpinionJoin us on Twitter and Facebook

Without a strong, big government, even paragons of capitalism, the country's iconic corporations, could disappear. Thanks to a stimulus, taxpayers are saving them. The government should be saving the taxpayers, their livelihoods, their lives.

But this government doesn't believe much in government. Early on it had promised to "deconstruct" the sinister-sounding "administrative state." It's become painfully apparent how much we need experienced administrators.To paraphrase a figure from another crisis, you go to a pandemic with the government you have. We can only hope this administration will get better fast, and then we should try to have a better government before the next crisis.[/size]

PAN - The story is starting to get some coverage. Maybe there will be more in Sunday's "papers" as they tend to have more editorial comments, which I think is where this story will show up. It's hard to ask questions when the subject won't comment and I believe the administration is stonewalling reporters on this.

Interesting thought from a Daily Kos commenter, that since the states ignoring corona virus precautions are mostly southern, Republican run drumpf states, the toll of the virus will be greater there than they expect. That could lead to fewer drumpf voters in November. Those who believed him might finally understand how badly he deceived them and vote against him - if they survive to vote. (Obviously not his words, but his general idea.)

[size]Kushner said the National Stockpile was “ours” and the wording on the Federal website has been changed to reflect Kushner’s personal ownership. Trump and Kushner own and control the Federal Government now to use openly in their personal Soviet-style racketeering scheme.This morning we find that Massachusetts Governor had to plot with his state’s Chinese Ambassador and the owner of the Patriots football team to secretly buy PPE in China and get it flown to his state. This mission had to be done as a Humanitarian Mission to avoid Federal jurisdiction and seizure by the Federal Government. Backstory here is the Federal Government had previously seized and absconded with a large shipment of PPE that Massachusetts had purchased from BJ’s. Kushners’ Federal Government has also taken PPE from France and Germany.The United States Federal Government is now being accused by Berlin an act of MODERN PIRACY.

[size=34]US records 1,497 virus deaths in 24 hours - the highest single-day toll of any country so far - with almost half in NYC, as cases rise to 310,000 and total deaths hit 8,500 leaving hospitals overwhelmed[/size]

US death toll from coronavirus skyrocketed by 1,497 in one day, taking the death toll to 8,503 and counting

The US set a grim global record on Saturday with the number of deaths from coronavirus leaping by 1,497 in just one day taking the death toll past 8,500. Almost half of the day's fatalities were in New York City, where the death toll reached 2,624 and hospital corridors were littered with body bags containing the latest victims. The US death toll skyrocketed to 8,503 by the end of Saturday, and the number of cases surged by 33,324 leaving 311,632 Americans infected by the killer virus. This marks the highest number of infections anywhere in the world. While the death toll in Italy (15,362) and Spain (11,947) is still higher, the US now dwarfs the hard-hit European nations' infections, with both Italy (124,632) and Spain (126,168) reporting only around a third of the number of infections across the US. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo warned that the pandemic is 'like a fire spreading', as his state continues to be ravaged and ruined by the crisis. +26

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The gut-wrenching death toll comes as:

US infections reached almost three times that of the next hardest-hit countries Spain and Italy

788 New Yorkers died from the virus in 24 hours as the city's fatalities make up a quarter of the US death toll

New York City prepares to wake up to 'D-Day' Sunday, when the Big Apple will find out if its medical supplies are going to hold up as the outbreak reaches its peak

Shocking images show body bags containing the latest victims of the killer virus spilling out into the corridors of the city's hospitals

The NYPD is on its knees with 18,000 members testing positive and 10 dead

NY Gov Cuomo said the pandemic was like a 'fire spreading' as more states emerge as new epicenters

Louisiana has become a key concern with New Orleans patients dying at twice the rate per capita as in New York

Michigan now has more cases that California with 12,744

President Trump told Americans to prepare for the 'toughest week' next week

The president also said the NFL would kick off soon and that he didn't want the country shut down for 'months and months'

The US' epicenter for the outbreak is yet to reach its 'apex' but its hospitals and morgues are near breaking point already.New York state's death toll surged to 3,565 Saturday as another 788 New Yorkers died from the virus, marking the biggest one-day toll there yet. The number of new cases in the state reached 10,675 and the total number of infections topped 113,833, higher than the number of infections in the whole of hard-hit Spain. New York City alone made up 757 of the state's 788 new deaths, and more than half of the US's daily deaths from coronavirus.

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Bodies are seen lying in corridors inside the Wyckoff Hospital as the healthcare system is overwhelmed with fatalities

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New York City hospitals continue to be overwhelmed with the mounting bodies, with shocking images emerging of body bags containing the latest victims of the killer virus spilling out into the corridors at Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn

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New York City alone made up 757 of the state's 788 new deaths, and more than half of the US's daily deaths from coronavirus. The makeshift morgue outside Wyckoff hospital in Brooklyn contains the latest victims of the killer illness

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The body of a dead coronavirus patient is seen being moved in an orange body bag from Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn to a refrigerator truck being used as temporary morgue In total, the city's 2,624 fatalities account for more than a quarter of all coronavirus deaths across the 50 states. The rate of new cases also showed no sign of slowing, with 6,147 recorded Saturday taking the number of infections to a staggering 63,306. Long Island is seeing a spike in cases, with Cuomo warning that it 'is the area that is growing'. More than 13,000 cases have been confirmed in Nassau County, as questions are being asked whether wealthy New Yorkers fleeing the city to retreat to holiday homes there could have triggered the spread.

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New York City hospitals continue to be overwhelmed with the mounting bodies, with shocking images emerging of body bags containing the latest victims of the killer virus spilling out into the corridors at Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn. As the number of dead rises, funeral homes have reported becoming 'overwhelmed' with the grim death tally and bodies are now lying for days in refrigerated trucks outside hospitals. Crematories have extended their hours and burned bodies into the night, as city officials were looking elsewhere in the state for temporary interment sites.Because of the risk of infection, many people with critically ill relatives in New York City are unable to see their loved ones in their final hours.

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A resident at New York-Presbyterian hospital said he and his colleagues have made several death notification phone calls every shift this week.'There's something sort of unquantifiably painful about telling a family their loved one died without letting them see them,' he said.

PREVIOUS DEADLIEST DAYS FROM CORONAVIRUS

Funerals cannot be held due to social distancing guidelines meaning loved ones are left mourning them from afar. Doctors at the Brooklyn Hospital Center told how they are buckling under the strain of the pandemic, with its ICU overflowing desperately trying to save people of all ages.Dr. Joshua Rosenberg, a critical care doctor, told the New York Times its ICU had more than doubled in size in the last week, turning the chemotherapy infusion unit into a spillover unit in order to take on the growing number of people in a critical condition. Concerns are mounting that there will soon be a shortage of life-saving ventilators. The hospital temporarily ran out of protective plastic gowns, the main sedative for patients on ventilators and key blood pressure medication, reported the New York Times. Shortages of gowns and PPE are such a concern, there is no chance of changing in between patients.

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Nurses putting their names on protective clothing to be worn many times resting outside the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, NYC

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An NYC healthcare worker empties a trashcan containing contents that includes used PPE as hospitals risk running out of the critical supplies

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A trash can is full of used masks and gloves outside Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn. Another hospital in Brooklyn said it temporarily ran out of gowns SaturdayAround a third of medical staff were also out of work sick as Cuomo again begged for more medical professionals to come to New York and support it in its hours of need. He announced that he will sign an executive order to allow medical students who were slated to graduate this spring to begin practicing now. Trump announced Saturday that he will be sending 1,000 extra medical personnel from the armed forces to New York.On Friday, all cell phones in the city were issued an emergency alert calling on all healthcare workers to aid in medical facilities if they can. About 85,000 medical workers have answered the cry for help, with 22,000 traveling from out of state to work in the epicenter.

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Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been set up as a field hospital for coronavirus patients

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A bed in the field hospital. New Orleans is recording a higher death rate per capita than New YorkThe city teeters on the brink of collapse with this Sunday, April 5, deemed 'D-Day' for the city when it will reveal whether supplies are going to hold up as the outbreak in the Big Apple reaches its peak. Cuomo has already stressed that hospitals in the city have just a few days left before they will run out of ventilators. Oregon loaned the state 140 ventilators, the governor said Saturday. The situation will only get more dire with New York's apex, or the peak in the number of new daily cases, likely about a week away. 'By the numbers, we're not yet at the apex. We're getting closer depending whose model you're looking at,' said Cuomo. 'We're somewhere in the seven day range.' The city's essential workforce is falling victim to the pandemic, with more than 1,800 NYPD members testing positive for the virus.On Friday, almost 7,000 uniformed officers called in sick. By Saturday, ten NYPD members had died from coronavirus, with Police Commissioner Dermot Shea announcing the tragic deaths of veteran schools safety agent Luis Albino and Auxiliary Police Lt. Pierre Moise on Friday.

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A medic of the Elmhurst Hospital Center medical team reacts after stepping outside of the emergency room on Saturday in Queens, New York City

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In Detroit, the TCF convention center has been converted into a field hospital. Detroit now has the most deaths of any US metro area other than New York CityBoth had served more than 20 years in the force. As the nation looks on in despair, other states are fast on track to become the new deadly hotspots. 'It is like a fire spreading,' Cuomo warned Saturday, of the alarming spread of the virus from the New York City epicenter. 'The fire, it doesn't max out in one place, but it consumes where it is and it's moving out.' Michigan now has more cases than California, with 12,744 in Michigan and 12,603 in California. Outside of New York City, Detroit is the metro area with the highest death toll, with 223 dead in Wayne County. Louisiana has become a key concern as it reported a jump in deaths to 409 on Saturday.The Gulf state's largest city, New Orleans, where Mardi Gras celebrations in late February are believed to have helped spread the virus before social distancing orders were imposed, has become a focal point of the health crisis.Patients in New Orleans are dying at twice the rate per capita as in New York.Louisiana Governor John Edwards said he spoke with Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday - and that he had been promised an additional 200 ventilators from the national stockpile.

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President Donald Trump warned Americans Saturday that there will be many more deaths in the coming week. Trump predicted that the coming week would be one of the 'toughest' weeks the country could face during the pandemic. 'This will probably be the toughest week - between this week and next week,' Trump said during his daily White House briefing.'There will be a lot of death, unfortunately. But a lot less death than if this wasn't done,' he added of the measures taken to prevent the spread of the virus. Fears that the worst is yet to come over the Easter holidays fly in the face of Trump's past claims that he wanted the nation to be back to business by the date.But the president continued to moan about the effects on the economy as the fatalities rage on around him: 'We don't want to be doing this for months and months and months. This country wasn't meant for this.' Earlier Saturday, Trump had said that Dana Perino, a Fox News Channel host and former White House press secretary under President George W. Bush, had a 'good idea!' when she floated the idea that the president should form a second coronavirus taskforce to plan how, exactly, to open back up the economy.

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President Trump told Americans Saturday that the coming week would be one of the 'toughest' weeks the country could face during the pandemic

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Share'Thinking about it,' the president confirmed at the briefing. 'Getting a group of people.' At noon on Saturday Trump met with all the major league sports commissioners. ESPN reported that he said on the call that he predicted the NFL season would kick off in time. At the briefing he refused to give a when, disputing he had said August. 'I want fans back in the arenas,' he said. 'Whenever we're ready, as soon as we can.' The president then predicted it would be sooner than later. He also said the Republicans had no 'contingency plan' to reschedule the August Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Democrats, whose convention in Milwaukee was supposed to be held in July, already announced a new August date. 'We're not going to have to have separation for the rest of our time on the planet,' the president said. +26

Emergency responders in protective gear disinfect themselves at the Southeast Nursing and Rehabilitation Center nursing home, where many residents and employees has been infected with coronavirus disease, in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday+26

Volunteers direct vehicles that made their way to the parking lot at Reagan Early College High School in northeast Austin, Texas to pick up to a 30-pound box of food Saturday[size=18]FDNY turn on the lights for frontline COVID-19 workers

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White House medical experts have forecast that between 100,000 to 240,000 Americans could be killed in the pandemic, even if sweeping orders to stay home are followed. Almost all Americans are under orders from state and local officials to stay home except for essential outings such as grocery shopping or seeing a doctor.Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota are now the only states that do not have either major city or statewide stay-at-home orders in place. Areas of the country such as Florida and Texas that had been slow to lock down have started practicing social distancing and sheltering at home.'We see what's going on in New York now, we see that people are dying,' Rick Scott, a U.S. senator from Florida, told Fox News Channel.'People are beginning to understand that the best way that we can slow the spread and actually avoid death is by this stay-at-home standard, going out only for essential services,' Texas governor Greg Abbott told the channel. He was among the last governors to issue a statewide order telling residents to avoid leaving their home.There were still some hold-outs elsewhere, though.Louisiana pastor Tony Spell said he plans to hold three services at his 1,000-member Life Tabernacle megachurch in a suburb of Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Palm Sunday this weekend, defying state orders against assembling in large groups.'We're defying the rules because the commandment of God is to spread the Gospel,' he told Reuters.+26

Louisiana pastor Tony Spell said he plans to hold three services at his 1,000-member Life Tabernacle megachurch in a suburb of Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Palm Sunday+26

Congregants leave after an evening service at Life Tabernacle Church in Louisiana on Tuesday. Pastor Tony Spell held the service despite facing misdemeanor chargesMeanwhile, the Chinese government helped facilitate a donation of 1,000 ventilators that will arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport today, Cuomo said. The donation was funded by Jack Ma and Joe Tsai, the Chinese billionaires who co-founded internet retail giant Alibaba.'This is a big deal and it's going to make a significant difference for us,' Cuomo said, adding that the state of Oregon is also sending 140 ventilators to New York. Cuomo is also looking for ventilators closer to home, and has issued an order that forces even private hospitals in the state to redistribute ventilators to the hospitals most in need.'I want this all to be over,' Cuomo said. 'It's only gone on for 30 days since our first case. It feels like an entire lifetime.'+26

A member of the medical staff takes break outside Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn on Saturday. New York state's coronavirus toll rose at a devastating pace to 3,565 deaths Saturday+26

EMTs take a coronavirus patient to the hospital at Queens Mount Sinai Hospital on Friday+26

Funeral home workers arrive to pick up a body Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn on Saturday[size=18]'We're not ready for the apex' says Cuomo

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US sets a grim global record with 1,497 virus dead in one day with almost half of th

A top White House health official has warned to avoid going to the grocery store or the pharmacy unless it is essential for the next two weeks to prevent further spread of coronavirus. The advice was directed mainly at residents of Pennsylvania, Colorado and Washington, D.C. who are still only on the upside of the outbreak curve, meaning it is essential that people remain at home and practice social distancing now to lessen the virus' impact.Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, revealed during Saturday's press briefing that hotspots of New York, Detroit and Louisiana are predicted to reach the peak of their death tolls in the next six to seven days but that there are other areas of concern emerging around the country. The data shows that the daily death toll in New York City could reach as high as 855 people before it is predicted to subside in a week's time. It came as national deaths reached record highs on Saturday rising by 1,497 to a total of 8,503. Scroll down for video

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Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, speaks at the coronavirus briefing at the White House on Saturday. She warned that the next two weeks are the crucial times to practice social distancing and remain inside, even avoiding the grocery store

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According to the model from The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, if the country continues on track with social distancing and lockdowns as it is, the country will reach the peak of its daily deaths from the outbreak in 12 days, on April 16, when 2,644 are predicted

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With the current measures in place, the models predict that there will be a total of 93,531 deaths nationally but that social distancing guidelines will see the daily death totals level off [size=10][size=18]White House health official warns do not go the store for two weeks

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'The next two weeks are extraordinarily important,' said Birx. 'This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy, but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe and that means everybody doing the six-feet distancing, washing their hands.'Birx' comments came after Trump warned America to brace itself for a 'lot of deaths' in the coming week, adding that it will be a 'very horrendous' time for the nation, as US virus fatalities top 8,500 with at least 311,632 cases as of Saturday night. 'This will probably be the toughest week - between this week and next week,' Trump told reporters. 'There will be a lot of death, unfortunately. But a lot less death than if this wasn't done,' he added of the measures taken to prevent the spread of the virus. The president was joined Saturday by coronavirus taskforce members including Vice President Mike Pence. Dr. Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci were also on hand, as was Dr. Stephen Hahn of the Food and Drug Administration. [size=18]'There's going to be a lot of death' from coronavirus says Trump

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Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, would not comment on when the worst day would be but suggested the current hotspots should see the maximum number of daily deaths in the next six to seven days is social distancing has worked Trump let Dr. Birx take the lead when asked by a reporter about when the peak of the country's outbreak could be expected. She was hesitant to put a number of when the hotspots will see the most extreme number of deaths but said that it may be in the next six to seven days. The curve toward this peak will see a dramatic number of deaths as those who were infected two weeks ago begin to suffer the worst of the illness. 'They are predicting in those three hotspots, all of them hitting together in the next six to seven days,' she said of New York, Detroit and Louisiana.She also noted that Pennsylvania, Colorado and Washington, D.C. are only 'starting to go on that upside' of the coronavirus mortality curve as she urged residents there to stay at home if they could, even avoiding grocery stores and pharmacies when possible.

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The grim news came as the death toll reached record heights on Saturday with nearly 1,500 deaths in 24 hours. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States have increased by more than 100,000 in the past three days as the national death toll stretched over 8,500 on Saturday. Many states are now frantically attempting to provide ventilators for hospitals most in need as federal emergency workers also try to answer desperate pleas for respirators.New York City remains the epicenter of the national outbreak where hundreds of people are dying a day. As of Saturday night, 2,624 people have lost their lives there.Dr. Birx explained that the city may start to see a drop in the number of new daily cases in the next week but that the death rate would lag and continue to grow. 'What we're seeing today is the people who were infected two to three weeks ago,' she said.'If social distancing and other mitigation efforts worked in New York, and we believe it is working, the cases are going to start to go down, but the mortality will be a lag behind that.'

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According to predictions highlighted by the White House coronavirus task force, the U.S. can expect to hit the peak of its deaths per day on April 16, 12 days from now, when there will be a predicted 2,644 new deaths reported nationwide. If the model tracked by the task force is correct, the curve across the country will then start to move downward with less deaths per day. There are a total of 93,531 deaths predicted. according to this model. The data for the models was collected by Dr. Christopher Murray and researchers from The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), an independent population health research center at UW Medicine which is part of the University of Washington. Dr. Birx has in recent days guided questions about what can be expected toward the site established by the institute.

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The peak in national deaths per day could see 2,644 new deaths on April 16, based on current data, but daily deaths will then begin to fall as the effects of social distancing are felt New York, Louisiana and Michigan are all expected to reach their peak before April 16. The data shows that New York is six days away from its peak, on April 10, when it could suffer 855 deaths a day. The model predicts there will be 16,261 total deaths in the city. Louisiana is also six days away from its peak when there are 76 deaths a day expected. Michigan is predicted to reach its peak in seven days on April 11 when 173 deaths are expected.

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New York is predicted to reach its peak in six days when there could be 855 deaths a day. The city is thought to be nearing the top of its outbreak curve if current guidelines stay in placeThe states Dr. Birx warned about are still only on the upward trajectory and have a longer line to wait until they reach the predicted peak number of deaths. Washington D.C. may not reach the peak until April 13 in nine days time. Colorado has an expected peak in 14 days on April 18 when the model shows there could be 85 new deaths.Pennsylvania has an even longer wait with the predictions showing 15 days, April 19, before the state reaches peak deaths. It is thought deaths may reach 79 on that day.

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The peak in daily deaths in Colorado is predicted to come after the national peak. It will hit on April 18, according to the current model, and Dr. Birx has encouraged residents there to stay inside to ensure that the spread is limited as it starts to rise up the curve of the outbreak

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The District of Columbia may reach the peak of its daily deaths in nine days time if social distancing guidelines continue to be maintained and the current spread is limited

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Pennsylvania could experience almost 80 deaths a day at its peak of the coronavirus outbreak but Dr. Birx warned that people must continue to social distance to not extend this furtherNearly 1.3 million coronavirus tests have been conducted with one-fifth coming back positive, according to new data.Across state and local laboratories, 1,290,619 tests for the virus, have been run, according to The COIVD Tracking Project.And while the majority of swabs have come back negative, at least 270,000 people - including 33,000 who have been hospitalized - been confirmed to have the virus. However, with health experts say that with millions across the US still awaiting tests, the number of tests that have been performed are far from adequate. Dr Birx says they 50 percent of the data for tests that have been conducted.On Thursday, Birx said that all tests were required to be report their results to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the $2 trillion economic stimulus measure signed into law by President Donald Trump.'Well, I'm telling you, I'm still missing 50 percent of the data from reporting,' she told reporters. 'I have 660 [thousand] tests reported in. We've done 1.3 million...So, we do need to see - the bill said you need to report. We are still not receiving 100 percent of the tests.'

[size=48]From a $25,000 Fine to a Warning: Here’s How States Are Enforcing Coronavirus Stay-at-Home OrdersWith nearly all of the U.S. under a stay at home order to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, states are deciding how to enforce the restrictionsBy Julie MazziottaApril 03, 2020 05:51 PM

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With the new coronavirus, COVID-19, sweeping across the U.S., the residents of all but five states are now under full or partial stay-at-home orders in an effort to slow the virus’ spread.What the stay at home orders mean for each state will differ. While the general idea is to restrict residents with non-essential jobs from leaving their home for anything other than necessary tasks, such as getting groceries, picking up medications and going on socially distanced walks or runs, the definition of “necessary” varies by location. Florida, for example, is still allowing public gatherings for religious and worship services, despite the federal recommendation to limit groups to 10 people.And the penalties for violating stay-at-home orders vary widely between states. Some states, such as Maryland, where violators face one year in jail or up to a $5,000 fee, have been direct about the possible fines. Others, like Washington, just said that residents “may be subject to criminal penalties” without specifying what that entails.Many cities are also deciding on fees independently of their state, and people should check with their local government for the most updated information. However, the message for all is clear: Stay home or pay up.

Here’s how the states under full stay at home orders are enforcing the restrictions, based on the information they have made available.

[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fhealth%2Fhow-states-are-enforcing-coronavirus-stay-at-home-orders%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest.com%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-share-article%26utm_content%3D20200405%26utm_term%3Dundefined&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimagesvc.meredithcorp.io%2Fv3%2Fmm%2Fimage%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2020%2F04%2F01%2Fstay41.jpg&description=From a %2425%2C000 Fine to a Warning%3A Here%E2%80%99s How States Are Enforcing Coronavirus Stay-at-Home Orders][/url]

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AlaskaAlaska declared its order on March 28, and any business or organization found in violation is subject to a civil fine of up to $1,000 per violation, according to the state.Additionally, an individual who goes against the order “may, under certain circumstances,” be charged with reckless endangerment, if they are risking the lives of others. In Alaska, that is a class A misdemeanor, and a person can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to $25,000.

ArizonaBeginning March 31, residents are under a stay-at-home order. Violators could be charged with a class 1 misdemeanor, which has a fine of up to $2,500, according to CBS Phoenix.Gov. Doug Ducey drew criticism, however, for exempting golf courses from the order.CaliforniaCalifornia was the first state to go to a stay-at-home order, which Gov. Gavin Newsom put in place on March 19.Newsom said that residents and businesses would be subject to misdemeanor penalties for violating the order, but he hoped that social pressure would push people to “do the right thing,” NBC Los Angeles reported. However, the state has since had to fine some people who were in violation, including a surfer in Manhattan Beach who received a $1,000 fine.“99.99% of this can be done without any criminal penalty,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, according to the Los Angeles Times. “But we’re prepared, if anybody is an outlier, because one person can be a super spreader, one person can kill someone, one person can kill themselves.”ColoradoThe state did not specify its fine, but said that going against the order is considered breaking the law.“We are calling for voluntary compliance by all affected; however, local law enforcement agencies have the authority to enforce this law,” Colorado’s website states. Local law enforcement enforces public health orders. State law enforcement will assist and support in any way requested, but our hope is that involvement by law enforcement is reserved only for the most aggravated circumstances.”ConnecticutThe state has been under a stay-at-home order since March 23. Information on regulation is not readily available.DelawareIn Delaware, violating the order is a “criminal offence,” according to the state. Anyone found in violation can be fined up to $500, or six months in jail for each violation.District of ColumbiaMayor Muriel Bowser implemented the order on March 30, and said that anyone in violation is subject to a fine of up to $5,000, a prison stay of no more than 30 days, or both.FloridaAfter weeks of criticism for inaction, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis instituted a “Safer at Home” order that goes into effect on April 3. State Attorney Dave Aronberg said that violators could be put in jail for up to 60 days, according to Fox 29.GeorgiaGov. Brian Kemp was also criticized for his response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and is now implementing a stay-at-home order, effective April 3. The state has not yet announced the details on the order or penalties, however several counties in the state previously said violators would be fined.HawaiiHawaii’s stay-at-home order was put in place on March 25, and Gov. David Ige said violators face a fine of up to $5,000 or up to a year in jail.“The threat of COVID-19 is unprecedented and requires aggressive action,” Ige said, according to The New York Times.IdahoThe state went under its order on March 25, and officials said that they hope not to penalize violators.“State and local law enforcement will enforce, but they are taking an educational approach with citizens,” Idaho’s website explains.IllinoisIllinois was another early-adopter of a stay-at-home order, which began March 21. Initially the state did not implement fines, but officials later said they would give any large groups a citation and a fine of up to $500, according to NBC 5.IndianaIn Indiana, any violators could be charged with a class B misdemeanor, which includes a fine of up to $1,000 and up to 180 days in jail, according to the Indianapolis Star.KansasUnder the state’s order, it is up to local jurisdictions to enforce and charge anyone found in violation.KentuckyKentucky’s order is called “Healthy at Home,” and it did not specify fine amounts for violators.LouisianaThe Louisiana order, which went into effect on March 23, does not specify a fine. Gov. John Bel Edwards said March 30 that residents need to do a better job of sticking to the order.“My first message to everybody out there is to comply with the stay-at-home order,” he said, according to The News-Star. “We need people to honor the stay-at-home order. We need to have better compliance than we have.”MaineMaine Gov. Janet Mills put the state under a stay-at-home order as of April 2, and violators face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.MarylandBeginning March 30, Maryland residents are under a stay-at-home order and are subject to a year in jail or up to a $5,000 fine for violating the order.“We are no longer asking or suggesting Marylanders stay at home,” said Gov. Larry Hogan.MassachusettsResidents who violate Massachusetts’ stay-at-home order are penalized using a tiered system. First time violators are issued a warning. For the second time, they will be fined up to $300, and for any further violations, they face up to a $500 fine or jail time, according to WBUR.MichiganInitially, Michigan’s stay-at-home order was enforced with a civil penalty of up to $500 and up to 90 days in jail. However, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services director Robert Gordon upped the fine to up to $1,000 on April 2, according to the Detroit Metro-Times.MinnesotaGov. Tim Walz said that anyone in violation of Minnesota’s stay-at-home order could face a fine of up to $1,000 or 90 days in jail, though he hoped it would not have to be enforced.“We don’t want them to be arrested. We want to educate people. This requires voluntary social compliance,” he said, according to KTOE.MississippiThe state’s shelter-in-place directive began on April 3, and no fines or penalties were specified.MontanaMontana’s order, which went in place on March 28, does not carry a specific fine, and law enforcement would decide on a “case by case basis,” according to the Great Falls Tribune.NevadaGov. Steve Sisolak put the order in place on April 1 and did not specify any fines, but said that businesses that do not comply “may be subject to criminal prosecution and civil penalties.”New HampshireThe state’s order leaves enforcement up to police, and Attorney General Gordon MacDonald said the goal is to educate, hopefully not to fine people.“These orders have [been] issued to address a public health emergency and are intended to promote and secure the protection of the health of the people of New Hampshire,” he said in a memorandum to law enforcement, the Sentinel Source reported. “Therefore, the primary enforcement objectives should be to inform the public of the order, its importance to public health and to seek voluntary compliance.”New JerseyResidents initially faced a fine of up to $1,000, but after the state had to break up several parties — including one of nearly 50 people — Gov. Phil Murphy upped the fine to up to $10,000 and 18 months in prison, calling the violators “knuckleheads.”“Let me be clear – we are taking a zero-tolerance policy against anyone who acts so stupidly and puts others in danger or makes them fear for their health,” Murphy said, according to the Philly Voice.New MexicoThe state order, which went into effect on March 24, does not specify fines or penalties, and leaves enforcement up to individual cities.New YorkNew York was the second state to go under a stay-at-home order, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the state does not plan to fine individual people who violate the order.North CarolinaAnyone found violating North Carolina’s stay-at-home order can be charged with a class 2 misdemeanor, which carries a penalty of up to 60 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, ABC 11 reported.OhioOhio Gov. Mike DeWine was an early enforcer of a stay-at-home order. Those in violation can be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor, which comes with a $750 fine and up to 90 days in jail, however DeWine said he did not expect anyone to be jailed, according to The Columbus Dispatch.OregonIn Oregon, people found violating the stay-at-home order can be charged with a class C misdemeanor, which carries a fine of up to $1,250, up to 30 days in jail or both, according to The Oregonian.PennsylvaniaGov. Tom Wolf resisted a statewide stay-at-home order until April 1. Any fines or penalties are left up to individual cities.Rhode IslandRhode Island’s order, which went into effect on March 28, carries an unspecified fine for residents found in violation.TennesseeGov. Bill Lee placed the state in a stay-at-home order effective March 31, however it did not specify any fines or penalties. Much like Florida, Lee also included churches as essential.TexasAlthough there was initially some confusion, a statewide order went into effect on April 2. Additionally, an emergency mandate in the city of Laredo, which went into effect on the same day, requires that every person over the age of 5 must wear “some form of covering over their nose and mouth” in public — or risk fines of up to $1,000.Vermont[url=https://governor.vermont.gov/sites/scott/files/documents/ADDENDUM 6 TO EXECUTIVE ORDER 01-20.pdf]The order[/url], which went into effect on March 25, does not specify any fines or penalties.VirginiaVirginia’s order went into effect on March 30, and carries a fine of up to $2,500 and/or up to a year in jail.WashingtonThe state is home to the nation’s first case and death, and became the first epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. Gov. Jay Inslee put the state in a stay-at-home order on March 23, however specific fines or penalties were not stated. Instead, the order says that residents “may be subject to criminal penalties.”West VirginiaWest Virginia was the last state to have a confirmed case, but Gov. Jim Justice implemented a stay-at-home order relatively early, on March 25. The order leaves any fines or penalties up to law enforcement.WisconsinWisconsin Gov. Tony Evers placed residents under a stay-at-home order on March 25, and violators are subject to up to 30 days in jail, a $250 fine or both.As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. To help provide doctors and nurses on the front lines with life-saving medical resources, donate to Direct Relief here.

At least 430,000 people have traveled from China to the United States on direct flights since the COVID-19 disease surfaced last year - with nearly 40,000 arriving in the two months after President Trump imposed travel restrictions. Additionally, there were more than 1,300 direct passenger flights and 381,000 travelers arriving to the United States from China in January. Around a quarter were Americans. The New York Times reports that thousands of these passengers flew directly from China as US health officials were just beginning to gauge the severity of the outbreak. The first reported cases of coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China, at the end of last year. The majority of the passengers arrived in January at major airports in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, Seattle and Newark.

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At least 430,000 people have traveled from China to the United States on direct flights since the COVID-19 disease began in Wuhan last year

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In February, about 60 percent of people traveling on direct flights from China were not American citizensOver the past week, flights leaving Beijing continued to land in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, mainly Americans and some others who were exempt from the restriction placed on February 2. Since then, 279 flights from China have come to the United States and interviews suggest that coronavirus screenings have been inconsistent. Trump previously said his travel measures 'kept China out of here' and applauded his administration for implementing the guidelines 'very early.'However, data collected by The Times suggested the travel ban may have come too late, amid reports from public health officials that believe COVID-19 entered the United States unannounced as asymptomatic. Although US officials identified the first confirmed case on January 20 in Washington State, no one knows when coronavirus first arrived as asymptomatic cases could have been spreading for weeks beforehand.

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As health officials uncovered the severity of COVID-19, President Trump (pictured) issued travel restrictions to Wuhan

No travelers from China experienced health screening during the first half of January -when China was downplaying the number of infection cases - but they began midway through the month. By then, health screenings only applied to travelers from Wuhan, the COVID-19 epicenter, and at airports in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.

But around 4,000 people had already flown into the United States from Wuhan, according to data from VariFlight. The screening protocol would include all passenger from China two weeks later. Those who have undergone screenings describe how surprisingly inattentive and permissive the were. 'I was surprised at how lax the whole process was,' Andrew Wu, 31, who landed at Los Angeles International Airport from Beijing this month, told The Times. 'The guy I spoke to read down a list of questions, and he didn’t seem interested in checking out anything.'

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Sabrina Fitch, 23, said she and 40 other passenger had their temperatures taken twice and were told to complete forms about their travels and health. 'Besides looking at our passports, they didn’t question us like we normally are questioned,' said Fitch, who flew from China to Kennedy International Airport in New York on March 23. 'So it was kind of weird, because everyone expected the opposite, where you get a lot of questions. But once we filled out the little health form, no one really cared.' 19 flights departed from Wuhan to New York or San Francisco in January - and they were mostly filled. On January 17, the government began screening travelers from Wuhan, but only 400 additional passengers arrived on direct flights before Chinese airports were shut down. In addition to the 1,300 direct passenger flights and 381,000 travelers who arrived to the United States, an unknown amount arrived from China on specific itineraries that stopped in another country beforehand. Sofia Boza-Holman, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said those travelers account for a quarter of travelers from China. She claimed Trump's travel restrictions reduced all passengers from China by approximately 99 percent. In February, about 60 percent of people traveling on direct flights from China were not American citizens. The majority of those flights were operated by Chinese airlines US airlines stopped flying.

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Pictured: A US Army National Guard Soldier helps a traveler register her arrival at TF Green International Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island on March 30, 2020, during the novel coronavirus outbreak

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Fitch: 'So it was kind of weird, because everyone expected the opposite, where you get a lot of questions. But once we filled out the little health form, no one really cared'

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Pictured: Body of deceased patient in orange bag moved from hospital to refrigerator truck serving as temporary morgue outside of Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in BrooklynOf the screenings, health officials revealed the process would expand beyond arrivals from Wuhan. According to Dr. Robert R. Redfield, director of the CDC, passengers would be screened for significant risk, as well as any evidence of symptoms. If there was no cause for additional screening, 'they would be allowed to complete their travel back to their home, where they then will be monitored by the local health departments in a self-monitoring situation in their home.' In a statement Thursday, the CDC said screenings were 'part of a layered approach' that may 'slow and reduce the spread of disease' when compounded with additional public health guidelines. Wu, who has had not fallen ill or shown symptoms, described the follow-up from health officials after his health screening as dismal.

Although he was instructed to quarantine for 14 days, Wu only received two message reminders by text message and email. Chandler Jurinka, a traveler who flew from Beijing to Seattle with stops in Tokyo and Vancouver, said his experience with health screenings were even more careless. At the Seattle-Tacoma airport, Jurinka said an immigration officer examined his documents and proceeded to ask questions unrelated to coronavirus about his life in China. No designated staff ever asked to take his temperature.'He hands me my passport and forms and says, "Oh, by the way, you haven’t been to Wuhan, have you?"' said Jurinka.'And then he says, "You don’t have a fever, right?"'Jurinka was told to quarantine and to expect a follow-up call, but no call ever came. The United States has since become the country with the largest number of coronavirus cases. There are 311,632 recored cases and 8,503 deaths.

A tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City has tested positive for COVID-19 after apparent exposure to an infected worker.The four-year-old female Malayan tiger named Nadia was tested out of an abundance of caution after developing a dry cough and a decrease in appetite, the zoo's parent company, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), said in a statement Sunday. Six other cats at the zoo, including Nadia's sister Azul, two Amur tigers and three African lions, were also suffering possible coronavirus symptoms, WCS said.All of the cats are expected to recover.

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A four-year-old Malayan tiger named Nadia (pictured) at the Bronx Zoo in New York City has tested positive for COVID-19, the Wildlife Conservation Society said Sunday

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Nadia (front) was tested out of an abundance of caution after developing a dry cough and a decrease in appetite. Six other cats at the zoo, including Nadia's sister Azul (back), two Amur tigers and three African lions, were also suffering possible coronavirus symptoms, WCS said[size=10][size=18]Coronavirus testing site draws in people at the Bronx Zoo

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WCS said that the cats were infected by a person caring for them who had COVID-19 but was asymptomatic or had not yet developed symptoms. 'Appropriate preventive measures are now in place for all staff who are caring for them, and the other cats in our four WCS zoos, to prevent further exposure of any other of our zoo cats,' the statement said. Nadia's positive COVID-19 results were confirmed by the USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa.

'Though they have experienced some decrease in appetite, the cats at the Bronx Zoo are otherwise doing well under veterinary care and are bright, alert, and interactive with their keepers,' the statement said. 'It is not known how this disease will develop in big cats since different species can react differently to novel infections, but we will continue to monitor them closely and anticipate full recoveries.'

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The Bronx Zoo (pictured) has been temporarily closed since March 16[size=18]Tense moment in front of check cashing store in The Bronx

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All four affected tigers were living in the zoo's Tiger Mountain exhibit. A male Amur tiger that also lives in the exhibit has not shown any signs of COVID-19, WCS said. There is no evidence to suggest that animals can pass the virus on to people, according to the USDA, which has said there are no known cases among pets or livestock in the US. The Bronx Zoo has been temporarily closed since March 16. New York City has been hit harder by COVID-19 than any other part of the country, with more than 67,500 cases and 2,624 deaths as of Sunday evening.

[size=34]Louisiana governor claims he had no idea Mardi Gras in New Orleans would trigger a coronavirus outbreak even though he was given a briefing on the epidemic WEEKS before the massive celebration was held[/size]

Governor John Bel Edwards of Louisiana said he wasn't warned that by not canceling Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans it could cause an outbreak

'There was not a single suggestion by anyone – a doctor, a scientist, a political figure – that we needed to cancel Mardi Gras,' he told CNN Sunday morning

Louisiana is the fourth-most affected state in the nation from the coronavirus outbreak with 370 deaths as of Sunday

Edwards, and a few dozen other governors, were briefed by CDC Director Robert Redfield and immunologist Anthony Fauci February 9 of coronavirus threats

Mardi Gras was celebrated February 25 with the traditional 2.5 hour parade down Bourbon Street in New Orleans with thousands attending

The parade and celebrations likely led to the massive outbreak in the state

The governor of Louisiana said Sunday that he wasn't told to cancel the massive Mardi Gras celebrations at the end of February, even though governors were briefed on the coronavirus threat weeks earlier.'There was not a single suggestion by anyone – a doctor, a scientist, a political figure – that we needed to cancel Mardi Gras,' John Bel Edwards told CNN's State of the Union Sunday morning.'Rather than look back, I am focused on today and going forward,' Edwards continued.Although concerns over coronavirus and its ramifications didn't manifest until March in the U.S., U.S. governors were briefed February 9 at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting by members of Donald Trump's coronavirus task force on the growing threat of the respiratory virus.

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Governor John Bel Edwards of Louisiana said Sunday that he wasn't warned that by not canceling Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans it could cause a coronavirus outbreak

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Louisiana is the fourth-deadliest state as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, likely stemming from the massive Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans on February 25 – weeks after Edwards was briefed of the virus' threat[size=10][size=18]Anger as US faithful flout ban on large gatherings in Louisiana

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Louisiana makes up 370 deaths of the more than 8,500 across the U.S. Despite this, many states did not immediately react and resumed business as normal, including New Orleans going forward with Mardi Gras celebrations and parades.Mardi Gras was celebrated February 25 with the traditional parade down Bourbon Street, which usually takes about 2.5 hours and is attended by thousands of people from all over the country – and even many international travelers.The celebrations across the state, and specifically in New Orleans, sparked a major outbreak in Louisiana, leading it to become the fourth deadliest state in the nation with 370 deaths as of Sunday.Centers for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield and the government's top immunologist and infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci revealed the threats of coronavirus to governors in early February.The NGA meeting was hosted by Chairman and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, and attended by more than half of the nation's state leaders.Hogan said Redfield and Fauci's statements were alarming to several governors at the time.'The doctors and the scientists, they were telling us then exactly what they are saying now,' Hogan, a Republican, told The Washington Post in an article published Saturday.

New York, New Jersey and Michigan are still more deadly than Louisiana with 3,565, 846 and 479 deaths respectively.Louisiana has 10,297 confirmed cases of the virus out of the more than 312,000 in the U.S.Edwards also told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday that the state could run out of ventilators by the end of the week if the number of cases continues to surge like it has in the last few weeks.The claim comes at the same time Trump and experts and doctors on his task force claim the next 11 days will be the most brutal for the U.S. so far, expecting to reach the peak of deaths on April 16, which is next Thursday.[size=18]Police urge revelers to clear Bourbon Street on March 15th

Sweden's prime minister has told his country to prepare for thousands of deaths as the country faces a backlash over its light-touch response to the coronavirus crisis. Stefan Löfven admitted that 'we will have more seriously ill people who need intensive care', but played down the distinctiveness of Sweden's approach. Swedes have been advised to practise social distancing, but schools, bars and restaurants remain open - to the amazement of neighbouring countries which are enforcing strict lockdowns. Thousands of doctors and academics including the head of the Nobel foundation have signed a petition urging tougher action, while one scientist accused Sweden of playing 'Russian roulette with the Swedish population' as cases gradually rise. The scepticism of Sweden comes amid promising signs that the lockdowns are working for its European neighbours such as Spain, Italy and Germany. Germany's 3,677 new cases today are the smallest jump since March 22, while growth in new cases in Spain and Italy has fallen to its slowest since the crisis began.

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This graph shows the daily number of new coronavirus cases in Sweden, which reached a peak of 612 new infections added to the tally on Friday

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This chart shows the daily number of deaths, with a peak so far of 59 new deaths which were added to the figures on April 1

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'We will have more seriously ill people who need intensive care,' he said to Dagens Nyheter. 'We are facing thousands of deaths. We need to prepare for that.'

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This map shows the latest number of coronavirus cases around the world. The United States now has the world's largest outbreak by far, although Italy has the most deaths

What measures has Sweden taken?

Unlike in most European countries, Sweden has not closed shops, restaurants or cafes. Primary schools are still open, although high schools and universities are moving to online teaching. There is no limit on leaving the home or going outside, with Swedes merely advised to keep their distance. They have also been told to self-isolate at any sign of coronavirus. Among the stricter measures are bans on gatherings of more than 50 people and on visits to nursing homes. People over the age of 70 and in high- risk groups have been advised to avoid contact with other people. Officials have also been urging people to avoid unnecessary travel over Easter, a message which was fortified by a televised address from the King yesterday.

Rather than ordering a lockdown, Sweden has told its citizens to 'each take responsibility' for slowing the spread. Gatherings of up to 500 people initially remained permissible, although this has since been hacked down to 50. Only the most vulnerable citizens have been encouraged to self-isolate at home, while visits to nursing homes have been banned. Restaurants, bars and primary schools remain open, and the streets of Stockholm are quieter than usual but far from a ghost town. 'Everyone is responsible for their own well-being, for their neighbours and their own local community,' said foreign minister Ann Linde. 'This applies in a normal situation, and it applies in a crisis situation,' Linde said, stressing that public trust was a key element of Sweden's strategy. The government-backed Public Health Agency of Sweden contends that Swedes have enough common sense to practice social distancing of their own volition, adding that such restrictions should be light enough to be maintained for several months.

However, the tone has shifted as cases begin to mount. Sweden's death toll is now at 401, with 6,830 confirmed infections. In the last week, the infection tally increased by an average of 447 per day, compared to an average 256 the previous week. The figures are likely much higher in reality, as only patients admitted to hospital and health care personnel are being tested for the virus. On Wednesday, state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell at the country's Public Health Agency said that while Sweden had observed a relatively flat curve for several weeks, it was now seeing 'a fairly steep curve'.Healthcare services have reported shortages in equipment, but they have so far not been overrun like in Italy and Spain.However, Stockholm plans to open its first field hospital this weekend amid a sharp rise in cases in the capital. Last week, the head of the Nobel foundation Carl-Henrik Heldin was among well over 2,000 physicians and academics who penned an open letter urging Sweden to shape up. Some even demanded Stockholm, the capital, be locked down after some 50 senior citizens perished in care homes from the virus. But public health officials have expressed scepticism about the viability of lengthy lockdowns.

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Crowds of people throng the streets in Stockholm - while most of the rest of the world is on lockdown

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Sunbathers soaking up the rays at the harbour in Malmo, Sweden as the country defied fears about the spread of coronavirus[size=18]Swedish PM says primary schools may close amid coronavirus outbreak

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Germany's daily death toll and new infection count both fall

Germany saw sharp falls in both its daily death toll and its new infection count today, offering fresh hope that the coronavirus lockdown is working. The number of infections rose by 3,677 - the smallest since March 22 - to bring the overall tally from 91,714 to 95,391. Meanwhile the death toll jumped by only 92, the lowest in a week, taking the total from 1,342 to 1,434. The resulting fatality rate of 1.5 per cent remains lower than many of Germany's neighbours, although it has risen every day for more than two weeks. The two southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg - closest to Italy - have been hardest hit, accounting for 824 of the 1,434 deaths between them. Bavaria alone recorded nearly a third of the new infections in the last 24 hours, according to the Robert Koch institute which compiles the figures. Bavaria's capital, Munich, has recorded some 3,500 coronavirus cases in total, although only nine deaths. Berlin has more than 3,600 infections while Hamburg has just under 3,000, the figures show. The mortality rate of 1.5 per cent means that one patient has died out of every 67 who have tested positive for the virus. The figure is notably lower than in Italy (12.3 per cent), Spain (9.5 per cent) or France (11.5 per cent), although it has risen from 0.5 per cent since March 26. The relatively low rate is thought to be linked to Germany's mass testing, meaning that many people with mild symptoms are added to the tally who are missed elsewhere.

PM Löfven has warned that although the pandemic's hold on Sweden was slower than in Italy and Spain, it did not necessarily mean fewer deaths. 'We will have more seriously ill people who need intensive care,' he said to Dagens Nyheter. 'We are facing thousands of deaths. We need to prepare for that.' However, he appeared to play down Sweden's approach when compared with other states, claiming Sweden also wanted to unburden its hospitals.'I don't think you ought to dramatise [the differences],' he said. 'We're doing it in a different way. Sometimes that is because we are in difference phases [of the pandemic].' There are however signs the tide is turning. Some institutions, such as the Abba museum, closed of their own volition. The social gathering limit has been cut to 50, while high schools and universities are moving teaching online. Authorities have in recent days stepped up pleas to Swedes to stay home for Easter to slow the spread. King Carl XVI Gustaf yesterday urged Swedes to avoid unnecessary travel over Easter. The holiday is 'a time when we are keen to travel and perhaps spend time with family and friends. Many go to church,' the king said in a televised address.'But, this Easter, some of this will not be possible. We have to accept this. We have to rethink, prepare ourselves for staying home,' he said.The king, 74, and Queen Silvia, 75, who are considered at risk because of their age, have been self-isolating at a royal castle south of Stockholm, Stenhammars Slott. One professor of endocrinology at the Karolinska Institute, Olle Kampe, claimed the government had 'cynically' permitted the virus to spread in hopes of reaching herd immunity. Herd immunity is achieved when so many people are immune to the virus that it cannot spread and the epidemic comes to a standstill. It was widely discussed in the UK when the government initially took a lighter touch, although ministers now deny that herd immunity was ever part of their strategy.

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Bars have remained open in Sweden (pictured, a venue in Stockholm on Saturday) meaning citizens have been free to socialise as normal despite the pandemic

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Young people socialise on a rooftop in Stockholm on Saturday. Officials in Sweden have so far refused to order a lockdown amid the coronavirus crisis

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Shops, restaurants and bars have remained open in Sweden's capital Stockholm, meaning the streets are still packed with citizens - few of whom are even wearing a face mask

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The sunny weather and lack of a lockdown order meant many Swedes were out enjoying the sunshine in Malmo over the weekend[size=18]Sweden's coronavirus strategy questioned as death toll rises

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But, Anders Tegnell, Sweden's chief epidemiologist heading up a coronavirus strategy, said: 'We think we've already taken the most important measures.'Stay home if you feel ill; work from home if you can; and ensure that we protect our older fellow citizens. You could alter other rules, such as those governing trips to the restaurant or gatherings, but you get the best effect when everyone simply sticks to the basic code of conduct.' Associate professor of political science at Sodertorn University in Stockholm, Nicholas Aylott, chimed in saying Sweden's strategy had been in part rooted in a national 'exceptionalism' - a younger and healthier population than other European countries. Power between Sweden's politicians and its civil service is also a factor, with ministers outlining policy and experts deciding how it should be delivered, meaning Sweden's Covid-19 strategy was directed by Tegnell rather Lofven. 'Who is right? Have Sweden's neighbours overreacted?' Dr Aylott blogged. 'Or has Sweden under-reacted? No one can tell — yet. There is no guarantee that insulation from politics will bring better outcomes.' [size=18]People continue to gather in Sweden despite coronavirus spread

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[size=34]Italy unveils plans for ENDING lockdown: Health minister announces 'phase two' will involve more testing and continued social distancing - as nation records its lowest daily death toll for two weeks [/size]

By Ross Ibbetson for MailOnline Italy has announced plans for ending its lockdown after the coronavirus-ravaged country today recorded its lowest daily death toll for more than two weeks.Rome recorded another 525 deaths, taking its total to 15,887 - the highest of any country in the world - however, this marked its lowest daily increase since the 427 registered on March 19.Furthermore, the number of people in intensive care (3,977), fell by 17 since Friday, and the number of cases rose to 128,948 from yesterday's 124,632, a lower increase than the day before.

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A patient is rushed away in an ambulance in Milan on Sunday. The death toll from the COVID-19 epidemic rose by 525 to 15,887, the lowest number of fatalities reported in a day by the civil protection service since the 427 registered on March 19.It comes amid growing signs that Spain's strict coronavirus lockdown may be working, as the country records its lowest death toll for a third consecutive day.The country recorded 674 deaths down from 809 the day before.And in France, the number of coronavirus deaths slowed for a second day running as the nation recorded 357 fatalities - its lowest daily death rate in a week.Earlier on Sunday Health Minister Roberto Speranza outlined plans for broader testing and boosted health services as part of a package of measures intended to ease Italy's lockdown, imposed since March 9. The government is also grappling with the economic devastation caused by the sudden halt to business across the country.Speranza said he had issued a note outlining five principles around which Rome planned to manage the so-called 'phase two' of the emergency, when lockdown restrictions will start to be lifted but before a full return to normal conditions.He said social distancing would have to remain, with wider use of individual protection devices such as face masks, while local health systems would be strengthened, to allow a faster and more efficient treatment of suspected COVID-19 cases.

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Parish priest Don Antonio Lauri blesses a resident's palm branch after celebrating Palm Sunday mass from the rooftop of the San Gabriele dell'Addolorata church in Rome on April 5Testing and 'contact tracing' would be extended, including with the use of smartphone apps and other forms of digital technology while a network of hospitals dedicated solely to treating COVID-19 patients would be set up.'Until a vaccine is distributed, we cannot rule out a new wave of the virus,' Speranza told La Repubblica. There are difficult months ahead. Our task is to create the conditions to live with the virus.'The national lockdown, strictly limiting people's movements and freezing on all non-essential economic activity, will officially last until at least April 13 but it is widely expected to be extended.'If we're not rigorous we risk throwing away all the efforts we've made,' Speranza said in separate comments to the Corriere della Sera daily.

State representative Tavia Galonski (D., Ohio) tweeted Sunday that she has been to the Hague to make a referral of charges against drumpf for crimes against humanity because of his promoting hydroxychloroquine as a cure for the corona virus. She said she was fed up after seeing Sunday's press conference and is asking attorneys with international experience to help her take her case to the ICC. She probably hasn't got a hope in hell, but it's worth a shot and should be interesting to watch.

[size=34]Dr Fauci says we will never get 'back to normal' because coronavirus 'threat' will remain even after vaccines and therapies are approved as the US hits 11,000 COVID-19 deaths ahead of projected peak in 9 days[/size]

Dr Anthony Fauci said on Monday that the world will never return to what was considered 'normal' before the novel coronavirus emerged four months ago

He made the prediction at the daily White House briefing after a reporter asked if the US can 'get back to normal' before a COVID-19 vaccine is introduced

'If you want to get to pre-coronavirus, that might not ever happen in the sense of the fact that the threat is there,' he said

But he expressed optimism that several vaccines are in the pipeline, saying he feels 'confident that we will never have to get back to where we are right now'

By Monday the US counted over 368,000 cases and 11,000 COVID-19 deaths

The world will never return to what was considered 'normal' before the novel coronavirus emerged four months ago, Dr Anthony Fauci says, as the national COVID-19 death toll hits 11,000. Across the nation as of Monday evening there are over 368,254 cases of the virus with hotspots in New York, Michigan and Louisiana. The US is now barreling towards the infection's projected peak day on April 16 when experts predict there will be over 3,000 deaths in 24 hours.Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, made the somber prediction at Monday's White House press briefing after a reporter asked whether the US will be able to 'get back to normal' prior to the introduction of a universal vaccine for COVID-19. 'If "back to normal" means acting like there never was a coronavirus problem, I don't think that's going to happen until we do have a situation where you can completely protect the population [with a vaccine],' Fauci said before clarifying his previous use of the phrase. [size=10][size=18]Trump and Dr Fauci discuss whether US will 'get back to normal'

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The world will never return to what was considered 'normal' before the novel coronavirus emerged four months ago, Dr Anthony Fauci predicted at Monday's White House briefing

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Across the nation as of Monday evening there are over 368,254 cases of the virus with hotspots in New York, Michigan and Louisiana and 11,000 deaths

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Across the nation as of Monday evening there are over 368,000 cases of the virus in the US with hotspots in New York, Michigan and Louisiana

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'When we say "getting back to normal" we mean something very different from what we're going through right now, because right now we are in a very intense mitigation.' 'We will go back gradually to the point [where] we can function as a society. You're absolutely right,' Fauci said. 'If you want to get to pre-coronavirus, that might not ever happen in the sense of the fact that the threat is there.' Fauci has previously predicted that the novel coronavirus will likely come back seasonally every year.But on Monday he expressed optimism about the future, given the number of promising therapies and potential vaccines currently in the pipeline. He said that in light of the scientific progress, he feels 'confident that we will never have to get back to where we are right now'.'If that means getting back to normal, then we will get back to normal,' he added.

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'We will go back gradually to the point [where] we can function as a society,' Fauci told reporters at Monday's briefing. 'If you want to get to pre-coronavirus, that might not ever happen in the sense of the fact that the threat is there'

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President Donald Trump declared that he has 'total confidence' in companies working on vaccines and said he believes the US economy will bounce back stronger than ever[size=18]Trump trashes inspector general during coronavirus briefing

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President Donald Trump then stepped back to the podium to offer his own insights on the question, declaring that he has 'total confidence' in companies working on vaccines. He also suggested that the US economy will come back even stronger than it was before, thanks to the 'tremendous stimulus we are giving'. Asked whether federal social distancing guidelines will be lifted on April 30 as planned, Trump declined to comment. But he did say that those restrictions have 'exceeded expectations' for slowing the spread of COVID-19 in eight states. New York remains the epicenter of the US outbreak, with more than 131,000 infections and over 4,000 deaths Now Michigan, Louisiana and Georgia are bracing to become the next hotspots based on the current rate of deaths and positive coronavirus tests in those areas. Forecasters at the University of Washington's School of Medicine released updated coronavirus estimates on Sunday that showed the peak of the pandemic could be over quicker than initially thought and level out as early as June.The estimated peak day of the outbreak is expected to occur in nine days on April 16 with a projected 3,130 deaths that day, the data shows.Peak resource use for hospitals is predicted to occur on April 15 - the day before the peak death toll - where an estimated 25,000 ventilators, 140,000 beds and 29,000 ICU beds will be needed.Data shows there will be a shortage of 36,000 hospital beds and 16,000 ICU beds by that day.

[size=34]Major grocery stores across the US report first employee deaths: Two Walmart stockers in Chicago and a Trader Joes worker in New York die from coronavirus amid concerns customers are leaving staff at risk[/size]

Supermarket chains are reported their first COVID-19-related deaths

At least four grocery store employees have died over the last two weeks

Experts said the influx of employee infections and deaths could likely affect grocers' ability to both maintain and add new staff

Leilani Jordan, 27, died of coronavirus last week after working at a Giant grocery store in Largo, Maryland

Wando Evans, 51, and Phillip Thomas, 48, died in late March

Both men worked at a Walmart store in Evergreen Park, Illinois, store

Walmart said neither men had been inside the store for 'more than a week'

Top supermarket chains across the United States are reporting their first COVID-19 employee deaths after at least four staffers at retailers like Walmart and Trader Joe's died.Uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic has fueled stress among workers afraid of contracting the disease from customers and unexpected store closures. Two Walmart employees at the same Chicago-area store, a Trader Joe's worker in New York, and a greeter at a Maryland Giant grocery store passed away in the last two weeks.

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Top supermarket chains like Walmart are reporting their first coronavirus-related deaths, including two workers who died at a Chicago-area store The Washington Post reports that thousands at grocery store staffers nationwide continue to work as 368,254 Americans were infected with COVID-19 and 11,000 died. Those numbers include grocery store employees who have complained of not having protective gear - like face masks and gloves - during shifts. Dozens have tested positive for the coronavirus. Experts said the influx of employee infections and deaths could likely affect grocers' ability to both maintain and add new staff. At the moment, Walmart, the largest private employer in the United States, announced they would hire 150,000 workers, while Kroger will boost staff by 10,000. Several grocers' are incentivizing potential workers with promises of masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and an extra $2 an hour.

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Some stores have aded plexiglass sneeze guards to cash registers to keep employees safe during the pandemic

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ShareBut finding people willing to step onto the frontlines of the pandemic for minimum wage salaries might not be enough to close the deal, said supermarket analyst Phil Lempert. He said: 'One of the biggest mistakes supermarkets made early on was not allowing employees to wear masks and gloves the way they wanted to. They’re starting to become proactive now, but it’s still going to be much tougher to hire hundreds of thousands of new workers.'We’re going to start seeing people say, "I’ll just stay unemployed instead of risking my life for a temporary job."'Grocers' have tried to prove their commitment to health, including some stores that have installed plexiglass sneeze guards at cash registers and require customers to stand six feet apart in line.

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Pictured: Cashier Baby San wears a face shield and gloves as she scans items at grocery store Super Cao Nguyen, in Oklahoma City, due to concerns over the COVID-19 virus.Walmart and Kroger started checking employees' temperatures at the beginning of each shift and said they will provide protective gear. Other retailers like Trader Joe's and Amazon have suffered employee strikes meant to pressure companies into protecting staff. Analysts believe clashes between staffers and companies could become more dire as co-workers continue to fall ill. Last week, Giant’s Campus Way South greeter Leilani Jordan, 27, died of COVID-19 in Largo, Maryland, on Wednesday. Zenobia Shepherd, Jordan's mother, told The Post: 'She said, "Mommy, I’m going to work because no one else is going to help the senior citizens get their groceries."'

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Leilani Jordan (pictured), a greeter at Giant’s Campus Way South store, died of the coronavirus last week in Largo, Maryland'She only stopped going to work when she could no longer breathe.'Jordan 's last day at work was March 16, said spokesman Daniel Wolk. She tested positive for the coronavirus in late March, The company has since sanitized the Giant store and is providing counseling for staff members. Walmart Inc. revealed in a statement that two staffers at the Evergreen Park store passed away from complications related to coronavirus. Wando Evans, a 51-year-old overnight maintenance worker, died on March 25 after working for Walmart for 15 years. Phillip Thomas, 48, died four days later on March 29 following nine years at the store. He was turning 49-year-olds on April 12.

(Left to Right) Wando Evans and Phillip Thomas, two employees at an Evergreen Park Walmart, died of coronavirus just four days apart Both men suffered underlying health conditions, Patch reported. 'We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of two associates at our Evergreen Park store, and we are mourning along with their families,' a statement from Walmart reads. The company said neither employee had been in the Evergreen Park store 'for more than a week.' It's unclear when the two men contracted COVID-19 or if it happened while on the job. Illinois has more than 12,000 confirmed cases and 307 deaths. Mayor Jim Sexton of Evergreen Park consequentially suspended Walmart's liquor license, but reinstated it on Wednesday.An investigation into Evans and Thomas' death was opened after Sexton learned of the deaths from Chicago Ald. Matt O'Shea, who saw Facebook posts about the mens' deaths.

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Mayor Jim Sexton of Evergreen Park (pictured) launched an investigation into Evans and Thomas' deaths 'We started to investigate when we heard the rumors. I suspended the [Walmart] store's liquor license on Friday night. We certainly got their attention,' said Sexton. In response, Walmart overhauled cleaning efforts in the past week with a 'third-party safety and environmental compliance assessment as well as a health department inspection.' This included decontamination of the front entrance, carts, registers, bathrooms and food areas. 'This is in addition to the cleaning measures we have implemented in all stores, including installing sneeze guards at registers, placing social distancing decals on the floors and limiting the number of customers in a store at a given time,' the statement read. 'It seems like they're trying to make a bad situation better,' said Sexton. 'The store is safe now for workers and shoppers. Everything is going to be changed now.'The Illinois and Cook County public health departments are monitoring the Evergreen Park store for more COVID-19 cases. But devastated family members are striking back at Walmart with a lawsuit filed this week. The estate of Wando Evans alleged that Walmart failed to give employees adequate protective gear, lapsed in sanitizing stores and wasn't transparent with employees. The lawsuit also claims that Evans was ignored by managers when he alerted them of his symptoms. [url=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8194065/Privacy Statement]John Hopkins University & Medicine Privacy Policy[/url]Evans and other employees, according to the lawsuit, weren't told 'that various individuals were experiencing symptoms at the store and may have been infected by COVID-19 which was present and active within in the store.' Tony Kalogerakos, the estate's attorney, said deaths could have been 'avoided if [management] was more transparent with teammates and customers,' reports Market Watch. Walmart is also accused of hiring new staffers over the phone or through 'remote means' without confirming if they have coronavirus. The company announced they would hire 150,000 workers amid a surge in sales. Evan's estate is seeking unspecified damages and was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County. On Monday, a Trader Joe's employee in Scarsdale, New York, died of the disease. The victim's identity has not been made public. Spokeswoman Kenya Friend-Daniel said the store where the victim worked is closed until Thursday to allow colleagues 'time to process and grieve.'Employees will be paid during the temporary closure and get two additional days of paid leave.

[size=48]Dr. Birx Says She Couldn't Help Her Granddaughter Sick with Fever Out of Fear of Getting Trump Sick"I mean, you can't take that kind of risk with the leaders of the country," Birx said during Monday's press briefingBy Robyn MerrettApril 06, 2020 10:51 PM[/size]The White House’s Dr. Deborah Birx is stressing the importance of social distancing amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.During Monday’s press briefing on the virus, Birx said that she opted not to treat her sick granddaughter over the weekend out of a concern over then getting President Donald Trump or Vice President Mike Pence sick.“We need to take care of each other now as Americans. And I know they’re tough,” said Birx, who is the coronavirus response coordinator. “My grandchild of 10 months had a fever of 105 this weekend. I’m a doctor, and I couldn’t get there. So I’m trying to explain to my daughter how to listen to her lungs.”“You could not get there?” Trump, 73, asked Birx as she was speaking.“I could not go there!” Birx quipped back, prompting Trump to say, “Good, I’m glad to hear it.”“I did not go there, because of you two,” Birx said in reference to Trump and Pence, 60. “I mean, you can’t take that kind of risk with leaders of the country.”

Birx explained that her family is taking social distancing seriously and isn’t allowing anyone “in that house or out that house because there’s too much precious cargo.”Birx’s elderly parents live in the same home as her daughter and infant granddaughter.As for how her granddaughter is doing now, Birx said, “Babies can do that, but it’s very scary, so it was just a few sleepless nights for me.”RELATED: Dr. Anthony Fauci on What It’s Like to Work with President Trump During the Coronavirus Pandemic

[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fpolitics%2Fdr-birx-couldnt-treat-her-granddaughter-not-get-trump-sick%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest.com%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-share-article%26utm_content%3D20200407%26utm_term%3Dundefined&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimagesvc.meredithcorp.io%2Fv3%2Fmm%2Fimage%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2020%2F04%2F07%2Fdeborah-birx-1.jpg&description=Dr. Birx Says She Couldn%27t Help Her Granddaughter Sick with Fever Out of Fear of Getting Trump Sick][/url]

Dr. Deborah Birx

ALEX BRANDON/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK

“I’m sure it’s roseola,” Birx said of the common viral illness that affects young children and causes a high fever.

Trump has said he remains in good health amid the global health crisis.During last Thursday’s press briefing, he announced that he had been re-tested for the coronavirus and tested negative.“I did take a test that just came out. … I went to work. I did not wait for it, but it took 14 minutes or something to come up with the conclusion. … So that is the second one. I think I took it really out of curiosity to see how quickly it worked and fast it worked,” Trump explained.

“And it’s a lot easier. I’ve done them both. And the second one is much more pleasant,” he said.White House Physician Sean P. Conley explained in a memorandum obtained by PEOPLE before the briefing that Trump was “healthy and without symptoms.”“This morning, the President was tested again for COVID-19, utilizing a new, rapid point-of-care test capability,” Conley said. “He is healthy and without symptoms. Sample collection took just one minute, and results were reported back in 15 minutes. The President tested negative for COVID-19.”

[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fpolitics%2Fdr-birx-couldnt-treat-her-granddaughter-not-get-trump-sick%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest.com%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-share-article%26utm_content%3D20200407%26utm_term%3Dundefined&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimagesvc.meredithcorp.io%2Fv3%2Fmm%2Fimage%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2020%2F04%2F07%2Fdr.-birx-trump.jpg&description=Dr. Birx Says She Couldn%27t Help Her Granddaughter Sick with Fever Out of Fear of Getting Trump Sick][/url]

President Donald Trump (left) and Dr. Deborah Birx (right)

Trump first took a coronavirus test in March.At Saturday’s news conference, he briefly discussed how his 14-year-old son, Barron, is handling life in isolation.“He’s like everyone else,” the president said. “He’s in his room. He’s happy, but he’s not as happy as you could be.”“He’d like to be playing sports, Barron,” the president added, noting that his teen son, who is largely kept out of the public eye given his age, is “a good athlete, and he loves soccer.”RELATED: What to Know About the Coronavirus — and How to Protect YourselfAs of Monday, there had been at least 365,525 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S., the most of any country.At least 10,925 people in the U.S. have died.As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. To help provide doctors and nurses on the front lines with life-saving medical resources, donate to Direct Relief here.

A 65-year-old man deliberately coughed and spat on food in a Massachusetts grocery store.The man, from Duxbury, was tackled to the floor by other shoppers before the police arrived at the Stop & Shop in Kingston, Massachusetts.The man was taken to hospital as a precaution but police say they do not think he has deadly coronavirus, which has killed more than 10,000 people and infected more than 360,000 in the US alone. [size=10][size=18]Shocking moment man coughs and spits on fresh produce

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A 65-year-old man deliberately coughed and spat on food in a Massachusetts supermarket and was tackled to the floor by bystandersWitnesses said the 'extremely aggressive' man tried to punch an employee who intervened after he was seen coughing and spitting on produce. The employee responded by hitting the man in the face. The man was then dragged to the floor by onlookers.

Video footage recorded at the scene shows the man - whose name has not been released by police - being held down by three other men.One can be heard shouting 'don't try to get up'.

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The shoppers kept the man on the ground before the police arrived at the Stop & Shop in Kingston, MassachusettsIf the man returns to the shop, he will be arrested for trespassing, the Patriot Ledger reported.Kyle Mann, 18, who recorded the video, said: 'I was shopping in the produce [aisle], when all of a sudden I turned the corner. 'I saw a worker and the man yelling with other people watching.'While that was happening, I heard them talking about him spitting and coughing on the produce, which is how I learned what happened seconds after I arrived and shot the video.'Any items that could have been contaminated have been thrown away by staff and the area has been deep cleaned and disinfected.

A small-town Illinois mayor on Sunday sent police officers to break up a social gathering that was being held in violation of the governor's coronavirus stay-at-home order, only to find his own wife among the revelers.Alton Mayor Brant Walker on Monday issued a statement on Facebook apologizing to the community and saying that he has instructed the town's police chief to treat his wife, Shannon, 'as he would any citizen violating the "Stay At Home" order and to ensure that she received no special treatment.' 'I am embarrassed by this incident and apologize to the citizens of Alton for any embarrassment this incident may cause our City,' the mayor added in his post.

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Alton, Illinois, Mayor Brant Walker (left) on Sunday sent police to break up a social gathering at a local bar, only to discover his own wife, Shannon (pictured right at an event in 2018), among the revelers

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Walker said his wife exhibited a 'stunning lack of judgement' and will face the same consequences as everyone else caught violating the COVID-19 restrictions

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Police say Hiram's Tavern in downtown Alton (pictured) had been operating on the weekends in violation of Illinois' stay-at-home order to curb the spread of the coronavirus

The incident began unfolding about 1am on Sunday, when police contacted Mayor Walker to inform him that they were in the process of breaking up a party at Hiram's Tavern in downtown Alton. They said it had continued operating on the weekends in violation of Governor JB Pritzker's March 20 executive order prohibiting all social gatherings to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. As of Tuesday morning, there were 12,626 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, including 52 in Madison County where Alton - a town of 26,000 on the Mississippi River - is located, and 307 deaths statewide. Police officers busted the illegal party and cited everyone in attendance - including the first lady of Alton - for reckless conduct, a misdemeanor punishable by up to nearly a year jail. They are due in court at a later date.'My wife is an adult capable of making her own decisions, and in this instance she exhibited a stunning lack of judgement,' Mayor Walker stated. 'She now faces the same consequences for her ill-advised decision as the other individuals who chose to violate the "Stay At Home" order during this incident.'

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The number of coronavirus deaths across the United States has risen to 11,000 as of Tuesday morning

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The number of infections across the United States rose to 368,254 on April 6Hiram Lewis, the owner of the rogue drinking establishment, was found to have an active warrant for his arrest out for domestic battery and was hauled off to the city jail, reported the Alton Telegraph. The town's mayor reminded his constituents that there is a deadly pandemic raging in the world, and that his 'first and most important priority is the safety and well-being of the citizens.' Walker, a small businessman and investor, first took office in 2013 after running as a write-in candidate and was re-elected in 2017. He and Shannon have a teenage daughter together.

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This heat map shows how coronavirus cases and deaths are escalating in hot spots across the United States. Illinois, where Alton is located, had an increase of 32 deaths in a day on April 6

[size=34]MAYOR'S FULL STATEMENT ON BAR CRACKDOWN AND WIFE'S CHARGE[/size]

Today, Mayor Brant Walker issued the following statement concerning a social gathering that occurred on Sunday in violation of the Governor's statewide "Stay At Home" order:On Friday, due to the continued increase in cases of COVID-19 in Madison County, as well as increased reports of large gatherings, particularly in some of our city parks, I directed the Alton Police Department to more strictly enforce the Governor's statewide "Stay At Home" order through the use of citations.The Governor's order states that "All public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a single household or living unit are prohibited, except for limited purposes permitted by this Executive Order."Walking and other exercise, as well as travel for essential needs, are permitted by the order as long as citizens adhere to CDC guidelines on social distancing.At approximately 1am on Sunday morning, I was informed by the Police Chief that the Alton Police Department was investigating and stopping a social gathering in downtown Alton that was occurring in violation of the provisions of the statewide "Stay At Home" order.I was also made aware that my wife was in attendance at this prohibited social gathering. I instructed the Police Chief to treat her as he would any citizen violating the "Stay At Home" order and to ensure that she received no special treatment.My wife is an adult capable of making her own decisions, and in this instance she exhibited a stunning lack of judgement. She now faces the same consequences for her ill-advised decision as the other individuals who chose to violate the "Stay At Home" order during this incident.I am embarrassed by this incident and apologize to the citizens of Alton for any embarrassment this incident may cause our City.My first and most important priority is the safety and well-being of the citizens of Alton. We are in the midst of a national public health crisis, and I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that your health is protected, including enforcing the Governor's statewide "Stay At Home" order.The overwhelming majority of our citizens and businesses are observing the restrictions of the "Stay At Home" order, and for that I am truly grateful. We must all do our part to flatten the curve of COVID-19 so that we can protect our health and ultimately resume our normal activities.Furthermore, I encourage everyone to join me in thanking the members of our Police and Fire Departments who continue to work every day to protect us during this public health crisis.I have never been more optimistic about Alton's future, and by working together to flatten the curve of COVID-19, we will emerge from this public health crisis stronger and more vibrant than ever.

[size=34]The coronavirus facts China wants the world to forget: Beijing releases a COVID-19 timeline - but fails to include whistle-blowers, Huanan food market and 'the order to destroy all samples'[/size]

State news agency Xinhua published a 37-page report to show China's efforts

It said the timeline proved Beijing shared news timely and informed the world

But a MailOnline analysis discovers some crucial events were not mentioned

China's official news agency has released a coronavirus timeline to hit back at accusations that Beijing tried to cover up the full scale of the outbreak.State-run Xinhua said that the timeline, published on Monday, proved how the country 'has shared information and advanced international cooperation' in the fight against the killer bug.The 37-page document included - as described by Xinhua - the 'main facts and measures China has taken' to contain the epidemic. In particular, it hailed the role of President Xi Jinping and other Communist leaders. However, the mammoth report has left out some of the most crucial events of the health crisis, each of which has played a decisive role in the development of the global emergency.Here, MailOnline has listed these findings alongside relevant information in previous reports and the Xinhua timeline.

[size=16]1. The whistleblowers

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Dr Li Wenliang, 34, died of the coronavirus in February after being punished for sounding the alarm over the outbreak. The police accused Dr Li and other medics of spreading fake newsProbably one of the most notable stories related to the COVID-19 pandemic, eight Wuhan medical workers who sounded the alarm on the virus at the end of December were accused of spreading fake news and reprimanded by police.The most famous of them was late doctor Li Wenliang, who died of the coronavirus on February 7 after contracting it on the front line.As early as December 30, the 34-year-old posted messages to a social media chatting group used by local medics, warning them of 'SARS at a Wuhan seafood market'. His alert came over three weeks before Wuhan went into lockdown.A statement from Wuhan police on January 1 condemned Dr Li and the others of spreading 'inauthentic' information without proof. Officers said their acts had brought bad impact on society, and they would be 'dealt with' by law, according to a previous report by Xinhua.

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This photo taken on April 1 shows medical workers disinfecting a stretcher in Wuhan Central Hospital in Wuhan. Li Wenliang was a doctor at the hospital before losing his life to COVID-19[size=18]Residents of Wuhan pay tribute to Dr. Li Wenliang outside hospital

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These events were not mentioned in the Xinhua timeline.However, the report did reference Dr Li in a listing under March 19.It said: 'An inspection team of the National Supervisory Commission released the report of an investigation into issues related to doctor Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist with the Central Hospital of Wuhan.'Following the report, Wuhan Public Security Bureau decided to revoke the previous reprimand letter and apologized to Li's family over the mistake.'It did not explain the 'issues related to doctor Li'. Beijing named Dr Li 'a martyr' this month and mourned for him on the National Day of Mourning for COVID-19 victims.Although Dr Li was the most famous coronavirus whistleblower, he had been tipped off by a colleague, ER doctor Ai Fen. Read our report about Dr Ai here.

2. The Huanan seafood market

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An investigation carried out by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the virus had been passed onto humans by wild animals sold as food at the market, Xinhua reported on January 26. But its timeline did not mention the market (pictured on March 30)Since the beginning of the outbreak, researchers and authorities have linked the virus to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, a once-popular wet market in the city of 11 million.Curiously, it did not appear in the timeline.One of the earliest connections between COVID-19 and Huanan can be traced back to a statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission.It claimed that 27 cases had been identified in the market as of December 31 and the city's officials had started to study its association with Huanan. Some other reports, however, suggested that the very first patient had no connection with the market. The market was closed on January 1 in relation to the 'pneumonia epidemic' by the local market watchdog, according to a report by state-run China News citing Wuhan Evening News.

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Geng Shuang, a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on March 17 accused 'certain American politicians' of promoting stigmatisation by connecting the novel coronavirus with China. China has been distancing Wuhan's Huanan market from its coronavirus narrative [size=18]Health officials start to disinfect Huanan Seafood Wholesales Market

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An investigation carried out by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that the virus had been passed onto humans by wild animals sold as food at the market, Xinhua reported on January 26. The Xinhua timeline did not refer to the Huanan market or its connection to the pandemic.In a listing under January 26, it cited Ma Xiaowei, the head of the Chinese National Health Commission (NHC), who claimed that 'the source of infection is yet to be found and studies are still needed to understand its pathogenicity'.In another listing under March 6, it quoted a spokesperson from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs who said: 'Though the first case of COVID-19 was detected in China, it does not necessarily mean that it originated from China. We should jointly oppose "information virus" and "political virus".'Although it remains unclear why the market was omitted from the timeline, Beijing has been rejecting the widely held assessment that Wuhan is the birthplace of the global outbreak after cases started to drop there but soar in Europe. Geng Shuang, a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on March 17 accused 'certain American politicians' of promoting stigmatisation by connecting the novel coronavirus with China.

3. 'Gag order'

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On January 1, officials from the Hubei Health Commission ordered gene-sequencing labs to stop testing and destroy all samples of the coronavirus, according to a report from Caixin. This photo taken on February 6 shows a laboratory technician working on samples in WuhanA high-profile investigative report has accused Chinese officials of ordering labs to stop testing and destroy all samples of the coronavirus in the very early stages of the outbreak.On January 1, officials from the Hubei Health Commission slapped the gag order on some gene-sequencing companies which had identified a new strain of SARS-like coronavirus as early as December 27, said the report.The date was more than a week before the first patient in Wuhan, a 61-year-old man, died of the virus on January 9.

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The Caixin report claimed that some labs in China identified a new stran of SARS-like coronavirus as early as December 27 after studying samples from patients in Wuhan. Pictured, an illustration of the virus released by the US Centers for Disease Control and PreventionThe revelation was made by one of the most referenced investigative reports about China's coronavirus outbreak, published by pioneering Beijing-based media group Caixin on February 26.It was shared tens of thousands, if not millions, times on Chinese social media platform WeChat, before disappearing.An English version of the article still lives on Caixin's website. Xinhua's timeline did not mention any lab-testing efforts in December. It said that on January 2, the CDC and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) 'received the first batch of samples of four patients from Hubei Province and began pathogen identification'.It added that three other institutions began to carry out parallel laboratory testing on January 3. A team of officially appointed experts said on January 9 that a new type of coronavirus was initially identified as the cause of the viral pneumonia in Wuhan, according to the timeline as well as a previous Xinhua report.

4. When did Xi know

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China's President Xi revealed in a speech on February 3 that he first gave instructions on the coronavirus on January 7. A transcript of the speech was published by state media outlet Qiushi on February 15. The picture shows Xi giving a speech at a Wuhan hospital on March 10It remains a mystery when China's President Xi first learned about the outbreak. The timeline, as well as many state media reports, claimed that Xi 'made instructions on epidemic response when presiding over a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee' on January 7.However, an investigation into public government documents and official reports reveals that his speech was not mentioned in any reports until February 15 - which was rare for Chinese propaganda, especially those about Xi.

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Xinhua first reported Xi giving instructions on the coronavirus on January 20. Pictured, patients wait for medical attention at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan on January 25Qiushi, a political theory periodical run by the Communist Party, published the transcript of a speech by Xi on February 3.Xi addressed officials: 'On January 7, I raised demands over the control and prevention of the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic while hosting the politburo standing committee of the Communist Party of China.'This article, mentioned in the timeline, became the source of many reports, which claimed that Xi took the helm of the coronavirus task forces on January 7. A report by Xinhua on January 7 about the political meeting was titled 'Xi Jinping hosted a CCP leadership meeting' and did not refer to the viral pneumonia in Wuhan. Radio Francia Internacional branded January 7 as a 'mysterious point in time' for Xi. A commentary on March 3 said that it was 'very interesting' for a Chinese leader his calibre to have to point out a time reference about himself, especially considering China's 'powerful propaganda machine'.Xinhua first reported Xi giving instructions on the coronavirus outbreak on January 20.

5. The mysterious 'zero case' days

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A picture released by Hubei's Chutian Urban Daily shows residents at Wuhan's Baibuting community gathering for a huge banquet on January 18. The event reportedly invited more than 40,000 families to welcome the Lunar New Year days before the city went into lockdownWuhan reported no new cases between January 6 and 17 when the city was holding a series of important political meetings, known as the 'two sessions'. Nearly 700 officials, lawmakers and government representatives attended the conferences.By January 5, the city's health commission had recorded 59 cases and no deaths.The 12 days would have been critical in preventing the virus from spreading, but officials either reported zero new cases or did not release a daily update.'Like this, Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, missed the key 12 days to block a malignant epidemic disease from spreading further,' criticised Shanghai-based news outlet Yicai in an article from February 1.

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Wuhan reported no new cases between January 6 and 17 when the city was holding a series of important political meetings, known as the 'two sessions'. This March 18 photo shows people lining up to pick up pork which was delivered to their quarantined compound in WuhanThe Xinhua timeline listed 25 entries under the 12 days to give details about a variety of official actions, including the isolation of the first novel coronavirus strain, the development of testing kits and a statement from the World Health Organization on the outbreak.It did not mention any new cases in the period. Furthermore, officials of a Wuhan community organised a huge banquet on January 18, inviting more than 40,000 families to welcome the Lunar New Year, reported Caixin, citing local Chutian Urban Daily.The banquet sparked fears of an impending outbreak among Wuhan residents, who rushed to buy face masks, Caixin added.The timeline did not mention the banquet. On the day, Wuhan reported four new cases. A statement said the city had registered 45 cases and two deaths by then.

6. Wuhan mayor admitted slow reactions

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Zhou Xianwang, the mayor of Wuhan, confessed that his team had not released information about the situation 'in time' during an interview with state broadcaster CCTV in JanuaryOne of the most influential interviews in the early days of the outbreak came from Zhou Xianwang, the mayor of Wuhan.Mr Zhou confessed that his team had not released information about the situation 'in time' to state broadcaster CCTV on January 27. Mr Zhou disclosed at a press conference the day before that around five million Wuhan residents had left the city before all forms of transport were halted on January 23. Mr Zhou said those people had left because of the Lunar New Year as well as 'public opinions'. Nine million people were in Wuhan when it was locked down, he said.The timeline did not mention Mr Zhou's comments, which were widely reported by media outlets in and outside of China.

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Wuhan was locked down between January 23 and April 8 to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The picture shows residents of Wuhan queuing to pay at a supermarket on January 23[size=18]Residents in Wuhan shout 'Fake!' at officials inspecting the city

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Mr Wu, 56, told CCTV that his government would need to receive authorisation from higher-ups before making any announcement regarding the novel coronavirus. 'On one hand, we did not reveal [information] in time; on the other, we did not use effective information to improve our work to a satisfactory level,' Mr Zhou said during the interview which was live-streamed online. He said: 'Regarding the untimely disclosure, [I] hope everyone can understand. [Coronavirus] is a contagious disease. Contagious diseases have relevant law and information needs to be disclosed according to law.'He then explained the restriction his government faced.'As [the head of] a local government, after I receive the information, [I] can only release it after being authorised. [Many people] could not understand this at the time,' he said.

7. The disease is 'largely controllable'

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The condition of the patients who suffered the 'mysterious viral pneumonia' was 'largely controllable', reported Xinhua in a January 10 article , citing an expert. The picture shows a worker measuring the temperature of a woman at Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan on April 8The condition of the patients who suffered the 'mysterious viral pneumonia' was 'largely controllable', reported Xinhua in a January 10 article, citing an expert.Professor Hu Ke from Hubei Provincial People's Hospital claimed that most patients had developed minor to medium symptoms and some of the earliest patients had recovered and left the hospital. This article was published one day before Wuhan reported its first death from COVID-19.It came five days after another Xinhua report said no evidence showed that the virus could spread from one person to another.The timeline did not mention either article. Professor Zhong Nanshan, the leader of Beijing's coronavirus expert team, confirmed human-to-human transmission on January 20, according to a CCTV report and the timeline.The coronavirus pandemic has so far killed more than 81,000 people and infected over 1.4 million worldwide as of writing. The lockdown on Wuhan, the former centre of the outbreak, was lifted on Wednesday.

[size=34]Six THOUSAND families line up in their cars for hours at a food bank in San Antonio as millions across the country turn to charity organizations to keep from going hungry during coronavirus lockdown[/size]

The San Antonio Food Bank distributed one million pounds of food to roughly 6,000 families on Thursday

Aerial photos show thousands of cars lined up at Trader's Plaza for the massive food distribution event

Each family left with enough food to fill two grocery carts, intended to last them the rest of the month

'The need is that great,' San Antonio Food Bank President and CEO Eric Cooper said of the huge turnout

'We are moving through food so fast, this is our second big distribution this week, but there are hundreds of distributions that are going on all the time,' Cooper added

The San Antonio Food Bank distributed one million pounds of food to roughly 6,000 families in a single day as millions across the country turn to charity organizations to avoid going hungry amid coronavirus lockdowns. Stunning aerial photos show thousands of cars lined up at Trader's Plaza in San Antonio during the massive food distribution event on Thursday. Families in need waited hours to get their hands on fresh fruit, vegetables and other non-perishable goods that have become hard to find in traditional stores as panic-buying leaves shelves empty. 'The need is that great,' San Antonio Food Bank President and CEO Eric Cooper said of the huge turnout. 'We are moving through food so fast, this is our second big distribution this week, but there are hundreds of distributions that are going on all the time.'+13

Six thousand families lined up in their cars for hours at Traders Plaza in San Antonio for a food distribution event on Thursday +13

The San Antonio Food Bank said it distributed one million pounds of food over the course of the day+13

People are seen standing by their cars as they waited in line for hours to get their hands on food and other essentials +13

Each family left with enough food to fill two grocery carts, intended to last them the rest of the month+13

Food bank volunteer Heather Martinez says goodbye to a family after filling their car with pantry itemsPete Delgado was among the thousands of people waiting in line on Thursday. He told FOX San Antonio he and his wife are both disabled and that he arrived at Trader's Plaza in the middle of the night to ensure that his family wouldn't go hungry. 'I've been hour here for an easy 12 hours,' Delgado said. 'And it's important for me and my wife because we have nothing to eat at home. I brought crackers and peanut butter as a snack to get me through the night. 'We didn't have any bread or lunch meat or anything to make some kind of lunch, a picnic for me to stay overnight, so I've just been munching on peanut butter and jelly and crackers.'

[size=34]How America was hit with COVID-19 from two continents: Majority of cases in US epicenter New York came from Europe - but a DIFFERENT strain spread from China to the West Coast, genome studies reveal[/size]

In an effort to understand how COVID-19 spread around the globe, several studies have analyzed the genomes of coronavirus found in patients

A Cambridge University study identified three distinct strains that have dominated various parts of the world

Researchers in New York found that most people in hard-hit NYC have a strain that has dominated in Europe

That strain likely arrived first and has become dominant in the US after travel from China was banned long before travel from Europe was blocked

Genome analysis suggests that a different strain infected people in Washington state, where the first patient in the US was identified

Most Americans with coronavirus are infected with a strain that came from Europe - but the strain that shut down Wuhan, China spread on the West Coast, recent research shows. Coronavirus likely came to the US first from Europe, circulating unseen among New Yorkers for weeks before the state's first case was diagnosed, and even before it arrived in Washington state, where the first American case was confirmed. It's this European strain that's driven the majority of infections in the US, now concentrated in New York and the East Coast, not the strain of the virus most prevalent in China, according to a new analysis of viral genomes by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. A second strain struck the West Coast and likely arrived later from China, despite the fact that a man who traveled back to the US from China was the first identified American infected with COVID-19. Separately, Cambridge University scientists found that there are three distinct strains of the virus that account for most of the world's cases.It's now quite clear that coronavirus first made the jump to humans from anteater-like animals called pangolins after getting its start in bats. Scroll down for video

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DNA Researchers believe the virus was being spread around the city by mid-February - weeks before New York's first confirmed case. This map is based on an earlier genome study and shows eight different strains of coronavirus identified by scientists and how they have spread around the world[size=10][size=18]Animation shows spread of coronavirus throughout the world

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The Cambridge study authors dubbed the first strain to hit humans 'type A.' But the original didn't linger long in China, instead jumping to and taking hold in Japan, Australia and the US. Instead, a mutated version of the virus - type B - arose and became the dominant spread in China, before moving on to Europe, South America and Canada. Still a third strain, type C, became the dominant version of COVID-19 in Singapore, Italy and Hong Kong, according to the Cambridge analysis of viral genomes in samples from coronavirus patients.

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The genetic history of the coronavirus was mapped from December 24 to March 4, revealing three distinct, but closely related, variants. Scientists believe the virus may be constantly mutating to overcome differing levels of immune system resistance in different populations

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The map above shows how the three strains identified by Cambridge University scientists traveled around the world

NEW YORK'S OUTBREAK CAME MOSTLY FROM EUROPE - NOT CHINA

The first cases of coronavirus in New York spread mostly from Europe, according to two scientific studies.Researchers believe the virus was being spread around the city by mid-February - weeks before New York's first confirmed case.The scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai N.Y.U. and Grossman School of Medicine studied DNA from thousands of samples of coronavirus patients and concluded the first travelers to bring the virus to the city came from Europe, not Asia. But they also found that the strain of the virus that arrived in Washington state came from China. Both research teams analyzed genomes from coronaviruses taken from New Yorkers starting in mid-March. One of the studies detected seven separate strains of viruses that arrived in the New York City area and researchers expect to find more. Despite examining different examples of the outbreak, researchers from both teams reached largely the same conclusions about its origins, according to specialists. Dr Harm van Bakel, a geneticist and co-author of the Icahn School's study, told the New York Times: 'The majority is clearly European.'

Viruses with similar structures are grouped into families, but each specific virus often develops strains - like off-shoots of a family tree. These strains arise in the virus's hasty scramble to copy themselves. Viruses are primitive, compared to our cells. They're considered something more than packages of genetic material, but less than a living organism. While human, animal and plant cells have intricate machinery that generate energy, viral particles have to hijack these cells, forcing their machinery to churn out copies of the virus's genetic material. This ad hoc process gives rise to mutations, and the ones that happen to be beneficial to the virus's survival multiply in each host, and spread on, better at outsmarting immune systems than their predecessors were. Researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai N.Y.U. found a slightly different pattern in the virus's travels. While Cambridge scientists traced the virus from China to the US, the Icahn team found unequivocally that the majority of people in New York - where more than 150,000 people are infected, accounting for most of the US's cases - have a strain that came from Europe. Dr Harm van Bakel, a geneticist and co-author of the Icahn School's study, told the New York Times: 'The majority is clearly European.' Last week travel data emerged showing 3.4 million travelers from countries that would end up as the hardest-hit by the outbreak entered the US as the pandemic was starting.

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Travel data shows 3.4 million travelers from countries that would end up hardest-hit by the coronavirus outbreak entered the US as the pandemic was starting

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Figures from the US Commerce Department from December, January and February, which were the critical early months in the outbreak, reveal how hundreds of thousands or even millions of undetected coronavirus cases could have entered the country while medical experts remained unaware of the seriousness of the illness. The world first heard about the virus in December, when it remained confined to China and mostly in the epicenter of Wuhan.Beijing was accused of covering up the spread of the virus, which may have left China's borders through asymptomatic patients well before new cases were picked up around the world.

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Most of the more than 87,000 people in New York City who are infected with coronavirus have a strain that came to the US from Europe. Pictured: Medical workers in NYC suit up in PPE at a field hospital set up by Mt Sinai Health System

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Coronavirus has killed nearly 5,000 people in New York City. Some of their bodies are being buried in plain plywood boxes on Hart Island, horrifying drone photos reveal [size=18]Hospital staff transport coronavirus patients and victims in NY

Lo[/size]Isolated cases started showing up in Europe in late January, before the pandemic took off in Europe in February.The travel data shows 759,493 people entered the US from China before President Trump's travel ban on 31 January.Another 343,402 arrived from Italy, 418,848 from Spain and about 1.9 million more came from Britain.Medical experts say it cannot be known how many travelers may have been infected, but it's highly likely some were not exhibiting symptoms.And as air travel has surged in recent years, enabling the pandemic to spread as it has, some officials suspect the virus' true impact was happening sooner than they realized.Trump has been criticized for not rolling out a widespread testing program when cases began spiking in the US.At least eight strains of the virus are being tracked by researchers around the world, using genetic detective work to show how the virus spreads.

Ron Paul called on President Donald Trump's administration Thursday to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top coronavirus advisor, after he lowered the nation's death estimates for the coronavirus. The former Texas Republican representative accused Fauci of providing 'bad information' when he said Thursday that he expects about 60,000 people will die from the outbreak, down from 100,000 to 200,000, but only if social distancing continues and effectively slows the spread of the disease. Paul, speaking on his program, 'Ron Paul Liberty Report,' unleashed his criticism on Fauci, saying he was using the virus as an excuse to get 'total control' of the American people.

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Ron Paul called on President Donald Trump's administration Thursday to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top coronavirus advisor

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Paul pressured Trump to remove Fauci, after the nation's leading expert on the coronavirus lowered the country's death estimates for the illness. Trump is pictured speaking at a coronavirus task force briefing Thursday

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Paul accused Fauci of providing 'bad information' when he said Thursday that he expects about 60,000 people will die from the outbreak, down from more than 100,000, but only if social distancing continues and effectively slows the spread of the disease'He should be fired, but if you don't do it in the literal sense, the people have to fire him,' Paul said. 'They have to fire him by saying 'he's a fraud.'' Paul, 84, who has run three presidential campaigns since 1988, is also a physician, and has previously written about 'the coronavirus hoax.' He expanded on his skepticism in Thursday's program, telling viewers that the outbreak was being used by the government to infringe on the liberties of Americans.

His remarks come after his son Rand, a Kentucky Republican, became the only member of the U.S. Senate to test positive for the infection. So far, there have been more than 436,500 confirmed cases in the U.S. of the coronavirus, which has been blamed for 15,674 deaths.

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There have been more than 436,500 confirmed cases in the U.S. of the coronavirus, which has been blamed for 15,674 deaths

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A look at how the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. has escalated over time

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A look at how the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. has escalated over time'The plan that they (government officials) have is when things are getting back to normal, people can return to their work, and they do things, and go to the golf course if they get a stamp of approval,' Paul said. 'Your liberties are there if you get a proper stamp from the government,' he added.'It's an excuse to have total control over the people.' [size=18]Ron Paul calls for Dr Fauci to be fired because 'he's a fraud'

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Fauci told NBC's Today Thursday of the positive results containment measures were having on the outbreak.'The real data are telling us that it is highly likely that we're having a definite positive effect by this mitigation things that we're doing – this physical separation – so I believe we are gonna see a downturn in that,' Fauci told the news outlet.'And it looks more like the 60,000 than the 100,000 to 200,000,' said Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Fauci did not say what model he used to base his new estimates.However, his remarks did come as a University of Washington model used by the White House also predicts fewer people may die from exposure to the infection.Read more:

Billionaire Bill Gates has warned that coronavirus testing in the United States must improve and priority given to healthcare workers and those most in need before the country can effectively emerge from the outbreak. The Microsoft co-founder spoke with CNBC on Thursday, where he said that the federal government had shown no interest in creating a unified national system which he believes could work to ensure that results were delivered quickly to the people who needed them most. Gates, 64, claimed 'we're in big trouble' unless test results are processed quicker because information on who is infected will greatly affect when the country can open back up. Coronavirus cases in the U.S. hit over 469,000 on Thursday with a death toll of 16,715. Scroll down for video

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Bill Gates spoke with CNBC on Thursday when he blasted the 'mismanagement' of the testing system and criticized that the wealthy could get a test and leave healthcare workers waiting

'The natural thing would be to do like South Korea did, and create a unified system — that we haven't gotten any interest from the federal level,' Gates said. 'The thinking is to create a website that you go in and enter your situation and it would give you a priority number, and then hopefully all the people who control the capacity limit the priority level that they accept, so they're giving these very quick results and to the right people.' Gates warned that testing across the country is 'still completely mis-prioritized' and is not putting those in most need of having a test, and quickly receiving results, first.'Any time the queue [for testing] is over 24 hours, that's complete mismanagement. Because the value of the result is far less worthwhile when you're not getting it very, very quickly,' Gates added. 'The best case is the PCR test goes positive before you're symptomatic or infectious and then you can act in such a way that you never infect anyone else.' The PCR test is what is currently known as the swab test, a 'fast and inexpensive technique' that amplifies DNA to allow scientists to discover whether the person has the virus. Gates says that the test is only enough to identify those who need to quarantine to prevent them from infecting others but that faster testing is still needed. He said PCR only tests positive when you've already infected people that you are most likely to infect.

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Bill Gates has pushed a nationwide shutdown, limited domestic travel and administering more targeted testing if t he country is to break through the coronavirus outbreak effectively

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He also hit out that the wealthy have greater access to testing despite healthcare workers being a priority. 'You can have somebody without symptoms who gets tested every day in some wealthy community… and you can have a healthcare worker… waiting three or four days,' he said, adding that the testing system 'is completely unmanaged'. Gates has claimed that his foundation is pumping 'billions' into finding a vaccine for coronavirus but that an extreme shutdown is needed across the nation before social distancing guidelines should be relaxed and the economy restarted.He argued that the lack of a uniform shutdown was going to slow down the overall process and that it would be early June before there is any kind of opening up - and only if effective testing is in place.

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Gates claimed that if 'we get our act together countrywide and if the compliance is very high and that testing including some innovations like a self-swab that our foundation has driven and those get into place by early June, we'll be looking at some type of opening up.'Because as a percentage of 330 million [Americans], we're not going to be able to test many people … [and] we need to know that number because that deeply affects rebounds when opening up,' Gates continued. 'And there is some data that suggests it's not a gigantic number but very, very important to pin that down.' Gates predicted in a TED talk five years ago that 'microbes not missiles' would be more likely to kill millions of people around the world.[size=10][size=18]Bill Gates warns next pandemic could kill millions of people

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Now he has pushed a nationwide shutdown, limited domestic travel and administering more targeted testing to stop the overflow of patients at hospitals unable to cope with the surge in numbers.'Well, if we do the social distancing properly, we should be able to get out of this with the death number well short of that,' Gates told Fox News Sunday.Gates believes that by obtaining test results within 24 hours, the US will be able to quickly identify those an infected person has come into contact with so they can be isolated and slow the spread.

While there are strict international travel restrictions, Gates focused on the importance of domestic boundaries too.The outbreak was identified in Wuhan, China in November with the first case in the US January. As early as February, before any lockdowns, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation donated $10million to help fight the virus. Gates has criticized the government's delay in taking precautions and serious action after the outbreak.'Between 2015 and 2020, less than 5 percent of what should have been done was done,' Gates said.During the interview from Microsoft's Skype service, Gates admitted that he wakes up every morning thinking the pandemic is only the subject of his nightmares.But he said compared to a disease like smallpox, COVID-19 'isn't the worst case'.'The one percent mortality rate when your system is not overloaded… if that was small pox that would be 30 percent,' he explained.

Americans who gave their direct deposit information to the Internal Revenue Service will see their $1,200 stimulus checks in their bank accounts on Wednesday. But others, who did not give banking information when filing their tax returns, could wait months to see their stimulus dollars. The move came the day after official new jobless claims hit 16.8 million and amid increasing signs of economic despair around the country, with food banks reporting record demand. Democrats are already suggesting more checks will be needed to keep people afloat. The Treasury Department will take the first step Friday in disbursing the millions of dollars in payments by alerting banks to confirm that the money will go into the correct accounts, according to Politico.

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Americans who gave the IRS their direct deposit information will see their stimulus dollars Wednesday. The plan was negotiated by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin (right) with President Trump (left) signing the CARES Act into law late last month

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Checks for the stimulus funds are expected to begin going out in the mail the first week of May, but some Americans could wait months to see their funds

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Relief needed: This was the scene in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, on Thursday as a food bank distributed foodAnd then on Monday, the IRS will start processing the payments. Politico also reported that on Friday the IRS is expected to announce the launch of an online application called 'Get My Payment' that would allow taxpayers who filed taxes in 2018 or 2019 to submit direct deposit information that would allow an electronic transfer of the funds. The web hub would be ready later this month. That would cut down on the number of physical paper checks the government would have to produce in order to pay every eligible American their stimulus boost. An estimated 100 million Americans don't have direct deposit. That means 5 million checks would be mailed weekly over 20 weeks, Politico's sources said - leaving some Americans empty handed until September, according to the Washington Post.

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Checks are expected to start being mailed beginning the first week of May. Still, the poorest Americans may have trouble even if they receive paper checks, if they don't have a checking account in their name. The CARES Act, which was signed into law by President Trump late last month, outlined that Americans who made under $75,000 would receive a one-time payment of $1,200. Couples who make under $150,000 will receive $2,400, with an extra $500 for each child. Smaller amounts of money will be paid out to single Americans who make between $75,000 and $99,000 and joint filers who make between $150,000 and $198,000. Single head-of-households with one child who make more than $146,500 will not be eligible for the cash. [size=18]US records 6.6 million new jobless claims amid coronavirus

Wuhan China .... has made us face our vulnerability.... how easy life as we know it can dissolve in front of our eyes ....

Do we ask too much that Wuhan China be left in the eye of the storm .... that nobody, no Nation, no Coalition of Nations, no coalition of Pharma no Coalition of Biotech .... nothing from outside came in...

Diplomacy? Too PC ? why did nobody follow the compass to the only place it was pointing.... is still pointing...

It’s not too late ... but we have to go to source, we have to have transparency from day one forward.... access with no restrictions, no time limit and transparency .... HELP from both sides .... the inside seeking help from the outside....

PAN - It's old news to anyone who's been paying attention. Love the fact that drumpf thinks now is the time to stop funding testing. Seth Meyers' "closer look" segments are worth a look, too.

PS - Our mayor just announced that schools will be closed for the rest of the school year. 4 months of kids at home! I wonder if they'll get the summer off from lessons, since NYC schools are usually closed for July and August. What a mess! And what happens when they go back/if they go back in September? Glad I'm out of it!

PAN - He is right, from a health standpoint. I'm not sure what it's going to do to their academic development. I really hope there's some sort of a plan being developed for when they finally do go back.

As far as some mothers rediscovering their kids? I'm hoping when all this is over there will be a much greater appreciation for the teachers in their children''s lives. It's been a given in teaching circles for years that we spend more time with the kids than their parents do. Now it's their turn to see what it's like.